The Death of Eros,Class Overturn and Small Narratives:
Modernity Issues in Historical Costume Dramas of the New Century
Hao Shuaibin
(Television Art Center of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Chaoyang District, Bejing 100083;
2. Communication University of China, Chaoyang District, Bejjing 100024)
Abstract: The narrative evolution and cultural expression of costume dramas in the new centurydeeply resonate with the modernization process of Chinese society. The historical simulacra ofcostume dramas not only imaginatively present the contradictions of modernity but also exposethe inherent limitations of cultural production, The dissolution of romantic love myths, theproliferation of sweet and indulgent narratives, and the crisis in marriage narratives collectivelyconstitute the cultural symptom of the "death of love and desire". The narrative of class i逆袭(upward social mobility) based on time travel and reincarnation, although providing animaginative consolation for the Z generation who encounter class solidification in reality, failsto truly address the root cause of structural inequality by internalizing the law of the jungle. The individualistic small narratives held by the Z generation, which construct story worlds andrules, simplify grand narratives into stages for individual power struggles. Behind this is theerosion of the spiritual world of the youth by the logic of capital afiter the cooling of theenlightenment ideal. To enhance the cultural value of costume dramas, a deeper connectionneeds to be established between historical imagination and real-world concern - neither avoidingthe contradictions and pains in the modernization process nor giving up the pursuit of theauthenticity of love and desire, class justice, and spiritual liberation, and building newhistorical narratives that can carry individual values and collective memories.
Key words:Costume dramas in the new century; Modernity; Love and desire; Social mobility;Small narrative
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