New seasons of old capitalism

notes towards a history of serialized narratives

Abstract

In these notes towards a history of serialized narrative structures, we recall how novel emerged from a new understanding of the self (WATT, 2010) and from new societal norms imposed by capitalism (MORETTI, 2020), values we still find in the contemporary series. Within them, we can perceive reflections of recent historical episodes — such as the consequent crisis of a certain model of masculinity, stemming from the second wave of feminism — and also the traces of an exacerbated individuality and an unrestrained competition advocated by, “neoliberal reasoning”. More than any other contemporary cultural manifestation, series unveil many aspects of contemporary capitalism, including the “horror of the end,” a feeling that arises from a denial of the ongoing climate changes on the planet and end up contaminating the very experience of enjoying television series.