Moral Occult

In Peter  Brooks's book Melodramatic Imagination, Brooks emphasized the importance of finding moral occult in melodramas. He demonstrated using melodramatic modes to find and specify the location of moral occult within melodramas. As Peter Brooks defines, moral occult is: "the domain of operative spiritual values which is both indicated within and masked by the surface of reality" (Brooks 5). Melodramas were the perfect place to locate the moral occult because melodrama opened up all the details and emotions that are going on in the story which draws out moral occult and makes it easier to locate. For example, in the movie All that heaven allows, when Cary finally made up her mind and went to Ron, the audiences all knew that he was just coming home from the hunting trip. However, clueless Cary started her car to go back home. Ron, acknowledging the presence of Cary and realizing that she is about to leave, falls off the cliff when trying to chase after Cary. As can be seen through the example above, audiences have all the information and know all the emotions; therefore it is easier for audiences to locate a moral occult in melodramas. I found this book (melodramatic imagination by Peter Brooks) extremely hard to get the gist of the main point, but it clearly had emphasis on the moral occult and on the significance in melodramatic mode on its impact on moral occult considering the time period being at the time.