英文摘要 |
Boy's Love (BL) TV drama is a genre depicting homosexual love between two male characters and has become very popular in Taiwan. The present study thus examines the narrative structures of six Taiwanese BL TV dramas broadcast from 2017 to 2019 by employing dramatic structural methods developed by Vladimir Propp and using semiotic analysis to uncover the implied homosexuality represented in these six dramas. The first research objective is to analyze the narrative structures of Taiwanese BL TV drama and to investigate if they are the same as those of traditional TV drama. The results of narrative analysis show that all the characters in the six BL TV dramas could be resolved into six abstract character functions (villain, dispatcher, helper, princess, donor, and hero), except for the character function of the false hero, and that the plot structures perfectly follow the traditional sequences of narratemes: initial situation, counteraction of heroes, resolution of problems, and happy ending. Findings also show that BL TV dramas attempt to create a utopia where romance takes precedent over the gender of the subjects, creating a homonormative discourse. While this may create a gender-friendly discourse, BL dramas also downplay the struggles, obstacles, and conflicts that gay people may face in real life, such as the problem of self-identity, relationships with conservative parents, and peer pressure. Some dramas also emphasize differences in the role-playing of ''seme'' (''the man'') and ''uke'' (''the woman''). The above-mentioned features of Taiwanese BL TV drama could thus reinforce the stereotypes of homosexuality. This paper also discusses implications and recommendations for future research. |