blufive

Martin Wisse points to an interesting article on sfrevu.com in which David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer discuss the checkered history of the term "Space Opera", from its origins as a term of derision to its present status as the name of a popular sub-genre:

Many readers and writers and nearly all media fans who entered SF after 1975 have never understood the origin of space opera as a pejorative and some may be surprised to learn of it. Thus the term space opera reentered the serious discourse on contemporary SF in the 1980s with a completely altered meaning

Martin's comment is worth reading, too (the opening quote alone is worth price of entry)