Soap Opera and Serialized Storytelling

As the descendant of the nineteenth-century novel, twentieth and twenty-first radio and television soap opera have long been recognized as sharing their precursor’s reliance on serialized form to build and sustain audiences. Even as interest in traditional soap operas has begun to flag in some parts of the world, serial form has never been more pervasive.  Serialization is utilized by storytellers in literature (from Mark Z. Danielewski’s The Familiar to DraculaDaily to r/redditserials), film (including George Lucas’s space opera Star Wars and the 007 franchise), streaming media (such as Facebook Watch’s SKAM Austin), and television (from Stranger Things and The Handmaid’s Tale to Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones). Elements of serialized storytelling are discernible in episodic and even non-serial formats as well.

The Soap Opera and Serialized Storytelling area of the Popular Culture Association welcomes proposals for papers on soap operas, seriality, and serialized narratives across platforms and mediums. Topics may include (but are not limited to):  

• Nineteenth-century serialization
• the Victorian period and its narrative structures in contemporary culture (neo-Victorianism, “Dickensian” shows such as The Wire, etc.)
• the links among Victorian melodrama, the sensation novel, and contemporary soap opera
• legacy radio and television soaps that are no longer being produced but made substantial contributions to television history
• soap operas currently on the air: from Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai in India to Goede tijden, slechte tijden in the Netherlands and from General Hospital in the United States to Shortland Street in Aotearoa New Zealand (among many others!)
• serialized storytelling in contemporary television, film, and literature
• Radionovelas and telenovelas
• Reboots (CW’s Dynasty vs. ABC’s Dynasty), remakes (e.g., Şahin Tepesi as a remake of Falcon Crest), reunions (e.g. Stars in the House: Knots Landing Reunion)
• fandom: from online fan forums and fan gatherings (e.g., Southfork Experience Event, etc) to fan texts and fan-led renewal campaigns
• theories of seriality
• methodologies used to investigate historically specific serial forms 

If a show, film, or work of literature encourages you to follow a character or story into the next episode or installment, submit a proposal to the area! All perspectives and methods of inquiry are welcome. In order to submit a proposal, you must have created a profile on the PCA website and have an active PCA membership. Before submitting your proposal, please familiarize yourself with submission guidelines available at https://pcaaca.org/page/submissionguidelines. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words.

The annual PCA conference brings together more than 2,000 researchers working on topics in popular culture. Join us in New Orleans, April 16-19, 2025!

Important Dates to Remember

September 1, 2024 -- Submissions Open

October 1, 2024 -- Early Bird Registration Begins

November 30, 2024 -- Deadline for Paper Proposals

December 15, 2024 -- Travel Grant Applications Due

December 31, 2024 -- Early Bird Registration Ends for Presenters

January 15, 2025 -- Travel Grant Decisions / Notifications

January 31, 2025 -- Regular Registration Ends for Presenters

February 15, 2025 -- Late Registration Ends for Presenters

*Those Presenters Not Registered by Feb. 15 Will be dropped from the program

CONFERENCE IN NEW ORLEANS, IL, April 16-19, 2025

Questions? Contact the Area Chair at SOSS.PCA@yahoo.com