Melodrama

Melodrama (from the Greek: μέλος “song, poem, lyrical work” + δρᾶμα “action”) is a genre of fiction, theatrical art and cinema, the works of which reveal the spiritual and sensual world of heroes in especially vivid emotional circumstances based on contrasts: good and evil, love and hate and the like. As a rule, plots of melodramas are concentrated around family themes (love, marriage, marriage, acquaintance, ups and downs of family life) and rarely go to other planes, although many melodramas have the features of historical dramas and unfold in a particular historical context. The plot may include tragic scenes, in most cases ending with a happy ending. In the melodrama, the emotional condensation of the text, the severity of the intrigue suppress the subtle development of characters that are usually stereotyped and behave predictably. Cinematographic and theatrical melodramas are traditionally accompanied by musical numbers that emphasize the emotionality of the story. Books are mainly intended for adults to read.

Story
The genre arose at the end of the 18th century in France, the heyday came in 30-40 years. XIX century. The best examples were the works of Monvel, Souvestre, Pip, etc... In Russia, the melodrama appeared in the late 1920s. XIX century (Kukolnikov N.V., Polevoy N.A. et al.).