Is Greed Good? Wall Street and its use of the melodramatic mode

Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,3, University of Cologne (Englisches Seminar I), course: HS Melodrama Mexico/USA, language: English, abstract: In order to find an answer to the question in how far Wall Street is melodramatic and how that helps to process contemporary moral quests, it is necessary to expound the key elements of Williams and Brooks melodrama theories. The theoretical framework will be followed by a short socio-historical context that is necessary to understand the significance of both the research object and the moral vacuum it tries to fill. Afterwards, the plot of Wall Street will be outlined and analyzed with regard how and why it is melodramatic. Since melodrama heavily relies on visual language, the mise-en-scene will be examined to an equal extent as the story. With those two sub-chapters as an extensive context, in the following subchapter the characters and their motivations will be investigated. They will be also analyzed with a special attention regarding their representative nature and how they are historically conditioned. A main theme in this context will be the question of moral identity and a feeling of belonging. The conclusion will provide an answer to the research question to how and why Oliver Stone's Wall Street can be classified as being melodramatic. As minor section of the conclusion will also provide a short commentary of the cultural impact of the movie and how it was and is perceived