TEXT, PARATEXT AND SUBTEXT: Reading Mildred Pierce as Maternal Melodrama

Abstract

A study of the relationship between paratextual material and film genre or cycle configuration. Focusing on different versions of 'Mildred Pierce' (novel, film and television miniseries) the article explores the fluid category of maternal melodrama, attempting to account for its cultural significance. The role of the director/auteur Todd Haynes in textual transformation is assessed. Three audio-visual essays are used to highlight methodology, combining critical commentary with the heightened emotion characteristic of the genre