This seminar aims to foster a conversation on either melodramatic works that aspire to realism or realist works and their reliance on melodrama. We invite analyses of all forms of media, with a particular focus on works written or composed after the eighteenth century and from any part of the world. In doing so, we seek to promote a cross-cultural and cross-media conversation, bringing novels into dialogue with telenovelas, cinema, theater, and opera (including particular productions).