Philip Wander, in Journal of Communication
of Soap Operas (Autumn 1979), P.O. BOX 13358,Philadel-phia, Pa. 19101.
Despite their scriptwriters' focus on personal problems, television day- time soap operas make "modern life appear coherent and relatively secure," says Wander, professor of speech communication at San Jose State University.
The world of the soap opera is governed a strict moral code: "Playboys are untrustworthy"; "adultery is invariably punished"; 'divorce...