--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I love how 'melodrama' is a denigrated…" description: "\"I love how 'melodrama' is a denigrated term - a lower-class citizen to other genres. And yet that's what life is, man.\" — Todd Haynes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/todd-haynes-2626_citizen_i-love-how-melodrama-is-a-denigrated-ter_2805574.jpg" --- # I love how 'melodrama' is a denigrated term - a… ![“I love how 'melodrama' is a denigrated term - a lower-class citizen to other genres. And yet that's what life is, man.” quote by Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/todd-haynes-2626_citizen_i-love-how-melodrama-is-a-denigrated-ter_2805574.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/todd-haynes-2626_citizen_i-love-how-melodrama-is-a-denigrated-ter_2805574.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/todd-haynes-2626_citizen_i-love-how-melodrama-is-a-denigrated-ter_2805574.jpg) > “I love how 'melodrama' is a denigrated term - a lower-class citizen to other genres. And yet that's what life is, man.” [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticism of “melodrama” reflects class bias, yet life’s drama is inherent and unavoidable. **In simple terms:** Calling drama lowbrow shows class prejudice, but life is dramatic. Key Takeaway Embrace life’s drama regardless of labels. Themes art criticism class culture Mood reflective analytical Type cultural media When to use this quote - theatre - film analysis - personal storytelling Key Concepts media studies social hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - Why is melodrama dismissed by some? - How does class shape artistic taste? A Different Perspective May undervalue the artistic value of melodrama. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen/) [Denigrated Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denigrated-term-3481707/) [Genres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genres/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [I love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-love/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Melodrama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-melodrama-3481706/) [Lower class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lower-class/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Melodrama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melodrama/) [Melodrama Denigrated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melodrama-denigrated-3481705/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) ## Related quotes > [I love melodrama. I love the simple fact. When you read Euripides he's a page turner. It's like reading a Mexican comic book romance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-love-melodrama-i-love-the-simple-fact-when-you-read-euripides-he-s/) [Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/) > [I work intentionally to try and make dense, complex things. We can move between genres and forms, from something that looks like a PowerPoint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-price/i-work-intentionally-to-try-and-make-dense-complex-things-we-can-move/) [Elizabeth Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-price/) > [I came to this project and 'Far from Heaven' from completely different vantage points. 'Heaven' was of course about the Douglas Sirk films of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-came-to-this-project-and-far-from-heaven-from-completely-different/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [Melodrama is sometimes broadly applied and sometimes derogatorily applied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/melodrama-is-sometimes-broadly-applied-and-sometimes-derogatorily/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [With 'Carol,' I was just really looking at and thinking about the love story as a genre, not the domestic melodrama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/with-carol-i-was-just-really-looking-at-and-thinking-about-the-love/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [Really, if the lower orders don't set a good example, what on earth is the use of them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/really-if-the-lower-orders-don-t-set-a-good-example-what-on-earth-is/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [If we want to have a two-class society and an unemployed, welfare-crippled lower class that has no access to equality and educational opportunity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/if-we-want-to-have-a-two-class-society-and-an-unemployed-welfare/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [Our inequality materializes our upper class, vulgarizes our middle class, brutalizes our lower class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/our-inequality-materializes-our-upper-class-vulgarizes-our-middle/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [It's incumbent on the President to entertain. Clinton did a better job of it - and was forgiven for the scandals, incidentally. Bush is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/it-s-incumbent-on-the-president-to-entertain-clinton-did-a-better-job/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Primroses and landscapes, he pointed out, have one grave defect: they are gratuitous. A love of nature keeps no factories busy. It was decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/primroses-and-landscapes-he-pointed-out-have-one-grave-defect-they/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [If you have an economic system in which there must be a lower class, there must be unemployed. There must be a large pool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/if-you-have-an-economic-system-in-which-there-must-be-a-lower-class/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [You know, without China there is no Wal-Mart and without Wal-Mart there is no middle class and lower class prosperity in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-laffer/you-know-without-china-there-is-no-wal-mart-and-without-wal-mart/) [Arthur Laffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-laffer/) > [“and there is dishonest men plenty to guide them to the devil, scoundrels that reckons to be the ‘people’s friends,’ and that knows nought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/and-there-is-dishonest-men-plenty-to-guide-them-to-the-devil/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“The more violent the body contact of the sports you watch, the lower your class. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fussell/the-more-violent-the-body-contact-of-the-sports-you-watch-the-lower/) [Paul Fussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fussell/) > [The American middle class always wants to be upper class and is scared to death of being lower class. It's a highly mobile group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/the-american-middle-class-always-wants-to-be-upper-class-and-is/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) ## More by Todd Haynes > [I had really loving parents and a happy childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-had-really-loving-parents-and-a-happy-childhood/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I don't know if I ever entertained an academic career, nor did I ever think I'd become a feature film-maker in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-don-t-know-if-i-ever-entertained-an-academic-career-nor-did-i-ever/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [Feminist theory has left an indelible mark on my own critical—and creative—thinking . . . For me, everything I questioned about what it meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/feminist-theory-has-left-an-indelible-mark-on-my-own-critical-and/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I don't think there's any more synesthetic medium than film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-more-synesthetic-medium-than-film/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I'm used to always having struggles getting finances together and keeping precarious budgets alive in the independent film world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-m-used-to-always-having-struggles-getting-finances-together-and/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [It's funny: I don't feel like I have any particular privileged feeling for the Fifties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/it-s-funny-i-don-t-feel-like-i-have-any-particular-privileged-feeling/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I'm drawn to female characters; not all of them are strong characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-m-drawn-to-female-characters-not-all-of-them-are-strong-characters/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [Looking at photographs of New York in 1952, you find a powerfully pre-Eisenhower era - sagging, tired, distressed - and the palette is slightly dissonant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/looking-at-photographs-of-new-york-in-1952-you-find-a-powerfully-pre/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I think many of the ideas that opened up in the '60s got implemented in the '70s and that certain minority voices that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-think-many-of-the-ideas-that-opened-up-in-the-60s-got-implemented/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > ['Evil Urges' has some stuff in it that's unbelievable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/evil-urges-has-some-stuff-in-it-that-s-unbelievable/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [Films like 'The Godfather,' 'Chinatown' and 'The Exorcist' brought a realism and currency and understatement to their genres that we wanted for 'Mildred Pierce.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/films-like-the-godfather-chinatown-and-the-exorcist-brought-a-realism/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [There were interesting ways that queerness could hide out and get played out pre-Stonewall. It is part of a vast history that is getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/there-were-interesting-ways-that-queerness-could-hide-out-and-get/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [It's very funny because every time I make a movie, and I've heard this re-echoed by other filmmakers and actors I have worked with,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/it-s-very-funny-because-every-time-i-make-a-movie-and-i-ve-heard-this/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [What was so interesting about the glam era was that it was about bisexuality and breaking down the boundaries between gays and straights, breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/what-was-so-interesting-about-the-glam-era-was-that-it-was-about/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [My films have often looked at the whole dilemma of identity as a straitjacket for people, for societies, for cultures, for historical moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/my-films-have-often-looked-at-the-whole-dilemma-of-identity-as-a/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) [Explore all 157 Todd Haynes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) ## More Citizen quotes > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [I will be a model prisoner, as I have been a model citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-edwards/i-will-be-a-model-prisoner-as-i-have-been-a-model-citizen/) [Edwin Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-edwards/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [I'm less concerned about whether being a good corporate citizen burnishes a company's reputation. That's just an added benefit. I believe it's a responsibility,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-burns/i-m-less-concerned-about-whether-being-a-good-corporate-citizen/) [Ursula Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-burns/) > [As a citizen, hopefully I'm humanist. As an artist, I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-a-citizen-hopefully-i-m-humanist-as-an-artist-i-m-free/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [The typical American citizen is the business man. The typical business man is a bad citizen; he is busy. If he is a 'big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-typical-american-citizen-is-the-business-man-the-typical-business/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [I am here, a citizen of this country, and I'm saying, 'Hey, the system failed me. I am a good citizen. I contribute to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-guerrero/i-am-here-a-citizen-of-this-country-and-i-m-saying-hey-the-system/) [Diane Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-guerrero/) > [“An anarchist government somehow creates an impression in the hearts of citizens that no one cares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-anarchist-government-somehow-creates-an-impression-in-the-hearts/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [If the many allegations made to this date are true, then the burglars who broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ervin/if-the-many-allegations-made-to-this-date-are-true-then-the-burglars/) [Sam Ervin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ervin/) > [Individuality is the aim of political liberty. By leaving to the citizen as much freedom of action and of being as comports with order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-cooper/individuality-is-the-aim-of-political-liberty-by-leaving-to-the/) [James F. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-cooper/) > [Up until the point that you're a citizen, we wanna continue to make sure we understand who you are and why you're here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstjen-nielsen/up-until-the-point-that-you-re-a-citizen-we-wanna-continue-to-make/) [Kirstjen Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstjen-nielsen/) > [To be a good citizen, it's important to be able to put yourself in other people's shoes and see the big picture. If everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/to-be-a-good-citizen-it-s-important-to-be-able-to-put-yourself-in/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [“I am a citizen of this country,” I declare, “and Mr. Mayor, tonight I will be a citizen of this city when I put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ash/i-am-a-citizen-of-this-country-i-declare-and-mr-mayor-tonight-i-will/) [Jerry Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ash/) > [“In a country of ideas, consciousness is its' citizen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/in-a-country-of-ideas-consciousness-is-its-citizen/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth; I am a citizen of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/i-have-no-country-to-fight-for-my-country-is-the-earth-i-am-a-citizen/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) [Browse all 464 Citizen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I love how 'melodrama' is a denigrated term - a lower-class citizen to other genres. And yet that's what life is, man.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Todd Haynes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-love-how-melodrama-is-a-denigrated-term-a-lower-class-citizen-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Citizen" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-love-how-melodrama-is-a-denigrated-term-a-lower-class-citizen-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/todd-haynes-2626_citizen_i-love-how-melodrama-is-a-denigrated-ter_2805574.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/todd-haynes-2626_citizen_i-love-how-melodrama-is-a-denigrated-ter_2805574.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/todd-haynes-2626_citizen_i-love-how-melodrama-is-a-denigrated-ter_2805574.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I love how 'melodrama' is a denigrated term - a lower-class citizen to other genres. And yet that's what…” — Todd Haynes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Todd Haynes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I love how 'melodrama' is a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-love-how-melodrama-is-a-denigrated-term-a-lower-class-citizen-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-love-how-melodrama-is-a-denigrated-term-a-lower-class-citizen-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```