Villains, victims and heroes: Melodrama, media, and September 11

Melodrama is not merely a type of film or literary genre, but a pervasive cultural mode that structures the presentation of political discourse and national identity in contemporary America. This article examines the media coverage of September 11, 2001, and how it produced a specific American collective identity through a melodramatic plotline. The September 11 news coverage illustrates how the United States became signified as a morally powerful victim ensnared in a position that required it to transform victimization into heroic retributive action. The article concludes by probing the dangerous ramifications of a national melodramatic identity for American politics and democratic citizenship.