Love in the Afternoon, and Evening : Essays and Conversations on Soap Operas

A celebration of the quirks, intricacies and hallmarks of a beloved but culturally undervalued art form: the American soap opera

Adored by battalions of devotees and maligned by others for melodramatic twists and turns, soap operas have had an outsized impact on culture, prefiguring the rise of today’s reality television and character-driven prestige dramas. In Love in the Afternoon... and Evening, cultural critics Charlotte Druckman and Mayukh Sen salute the stories and talent that have sustained the industry since its radio days. Featured are interviews with soap icons; deep dives into the genre’s infamous tropes and archetypes; and considered takes on the industry’s treatment of race, reproductive rights and queerness. Part cultural analysis, part backstage tour and all love letter to an oft–misunderstood art form, Love in the Afternoon... and Evening will make you want to bust out of your shoulder pads and binge-watch your favourite show all over again. A Paperback OriginalMayukh Sen’s Love, Queenie was praised as:“Extraordinary." —The New York Times Book Review"[Love, Queenie] is one of the best film-related biographies I’ve read." —Brian McFarlane, The Sydney Morning Herald