Soap Operas as a Tonic for Loneliness, Alienation, and Monotony

By PETER MONAGHAN

Louise Spence, associate professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University

Soaps can freshen the mind, claims Ms. Spence. In Watching Daytime Soap Operas: The Power of Pleasure (Wesleyan University Press), she analyzes hundreds of hours of her observations of online chat rooms and interviews with soap-opera fans. She discovered that the viewers — most of them women — watch the programs as an escape, a means of resistance, or an expression of identity. Many

Digital or Print Subscription

Web Pass

Already have an account? Log In Now.

Administration

(Not) Burning Down the House
The Chronicle Review

Snips, Snails, Puppydog Tails, Etc.
Short Subjects

My Mom's the President? Get Me Out

Featured Commentary

The Berkeley Protest: Fresh Anger in the Footsteps

The students protesting the big tuition increase at the University of California impress Murray Sperber, who was in their shoes 45 years ago.
Teaching Matters: Creating Lives in the Classroom

Online avatars bring German history to life for students at Stanford. Edith Sheffer explains.
A Fine Legal Mess: When Student Groups Collide With Anti-Bias Policy

Can a college compel a student group to abide by antidiscrimination rules that violate its religious views? The U.S. Supreme Court isn't saying, writes Robert M. O'Neil.

Campus Viewpoint

Information provided by participating institution

The Chronicle of Higher Education
1255 Twenty-Third St, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037

Research

Soap Operas as a Tonic for Loneliness, Alienation, and Monotony

This is an article for subscribers only. You may access this article by purchasing a:

Digital or Print Subscription

Web Pass

Administration

The Chronicle Review

Short Subjects

Most Popular

Featured Commentary

The Berkeley Protest: Fresh Anger in the Footsteps

Teaching Matters: Creating Lives in the Classroom

A Fine Legal Mess: When Student Groups Collide With Anti-Bias Policy

Campus Viewpoint