ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 discusses telenovelas in Brazil from a historical and cultural point of view, the transformations the narrative has experienced and which attributes remain the same until the present. Various agents have influenced the telenovela narrative throughout its history, with emphasis on melodrama, feuilleton and the audience. Even after almost 70 years of existence, the telenovela continues to be the central narrative of a massive audience in Brazil, attracting millions of viewers daily. Telenovelas are also exported to several other countries and territories. The chapter analyses the main characteristics of telenovela storytelling: themes, format, language elements. Authors who research television content and the construction of these narratives along with my own empirical experience as a telenovela main writer will shared. In addition to these, the chapter offers insights from professionals who were in charge of the research and quality departments of TV Globo: Eneida Nogueira, director of the Research Department from 1998 to 2017; Mirian de Icaza Sánchez, who worked during 26 years in the Globo Network Quality Central. ]
