Youth Subculture In Network Novel Writing

In this network age, great changes have taken place in the platform and the way of writing. Writing has been closely connected to network and they are inseparable. Generally speaking, network novel writing is referred to as a modernized way of writing for people to create and serialize novels on the network platform for online readers. It is characterized by openness, anonymity, equality and promptness. Youth subculture is referred to as the marginalized youth group culture in all periods. It is created by the youth, closely related to the youth and characterized by repellence (subversiveness) and criticalness compared to the mainstream culture (traditional culture). Network novel writing has been marginalized since the birth with its peculiar rebellious style, which to some extent subverts the purity of mainstream writing and the nobility of literature. Thus, it shows distinct features of youth subculture and doubtlessly, it is kind of a typical youth subculture. Network novel writing is closely related to youth subculture and they two are intertwined and integrated. On the one hand, network novel writing drives and promotes the formation of youth subculture. A wide range of young writers are just like a duck to water. They throw off the constraints and taboos of traditional writing, carry through audacious innovation and subversion and gain popularity from a great many fans with personal violent passions and balderdash "YY" (presumption). On the other hand, youth subculture guides the direction of network novel writing. Based on the immediacy and interactivity of communication on network platform, the writers and the readers turn into common text creators and aesthetic experiencers. Readers participate in the construction of subculture actively and lead the direction of writing.So, what is it that gives rise to such rapid development of network novel writing? It is a problem worth our pondering. Roughly, external causes and internal causes are considered. For the external causes, first, it is the crucial role of Internet as a media, which provides the literary youth with a common communication platform. At the same time, it deconstructs the solemnity of traditional media and guarantees the young writers the freedom of soul. This makes it the common platform for network novel writing and subculture. Second, with commercial operations, network novels become commodity. The use value is amusement and the exchange value is money. This commercial intervention affects and changes the property of network works. For the internal causes, first, as a matter of fact, adolescent youth tend to be dissatisfied with the education in school, family and society and tend to carry out "anti-school culture" activities. Deviance, rebellion and escape are understandable. Second, for the youth under the "repression" of modern mainstream society, the most direct way to express themselves and release complaints is doubtlessly to resist parent culture. Finally, they try to solve some problems about the warm-blooded youth. Therefore, the network age elates myriad youth. Network novel writing releases the long-time repressed emotions of young writers with its exceptional advantages. Like wild horses without their halters, the young writers advance bravely in all directions. In their writing process, young writers pour their emotions intensively into their works, imaging that problems in real life have been solved, which is especially important for frustrated youth.British scholar Phil Cohen the unique value systems of subculture such as praising hedonism, challenging authority and seeking stimulus provide the working-class youth who fail to achieve success at school with unique resources to establish credibility and self-respect. In this consumption-centered post-modern society, network novel writing has pulled the worshiped mainstream writing down from the altar and has expressed their unique value. When network novel writing has been a fashion characterized by consumerization, gamification and entertainment, the youth are able to play a non-role "youth" therein as they wish or create a role they want to be. Thereby, they are excited to build their self-respect and self-confidence and gain satisfaction and sense of achievement. This fictitious authority and self-respect is important for most youth, especially those young writers who are frustrated in real life. It enables them to resist the frustration and to renerve. In the group of network novel writing, a person is able to gain rather a sense of belonging, which is a non-general sense of identity. For network novel writing itself, tempted by commercial benefits, stereotyped stories and vulgarized tastes are commonly chosen. These two fatal values lead to a large number of "literary junks" which receive considerable denunciation.For young writers, they devote themselves to network novel writing not only to negotiate their existence, but also to express their subcultural appeal. Most of the time, what they try to solve is the problem of pursing freedom and insisting individual style, namely, "I am the master of my youth!" Network novel writing doubtlessly open such a window to pursue freedom for the youth. They are unrestrained and unbridled in the world of novel and gain the freedom of soul. Each kind of subculture has its peculiar style. Phil Cohen regards the subcultural style as an ideological solution to attack the parental culture. The style of network novel writing is about expressing the uninhibited self of youth. Besides, network novel writing is a kind of hedonic, impulsive,expressive and excited youth subculture created by youth themselves.For those modern youth who seek recreation and leisure, network novel writing may be a refreshing agent for them to release pressure and seek pleasure. However, it is necessary to point out that what they are pursuing is a pleasure similar to commercial snack. Under the "pressure" of parental culture in real life with fierce modern competition, they may discover a sense of success and recognition through network novel writing.Youth are the main force of network novel writing and they are alive with writing passion all the way, showing bright youth subcultural style and meaning. With boundless texts, they express their dissatisfaction with and rebellion to the mainstream and interpret new meanings of life. They want to realize the "counterattack of loser". They talk to themselves; they follow no set form; they do as they wish; they contempt the authority and they have the power to deconstruct the mainstream. This macroscopic deconstruction is like a TNT explosion, bringing intensive and constant shock waves. Objectively, due to the resistance to and subversiveness of the mainstream, their own subcultural circle is established, and this spirit of innovation raises and guides a new fashion trend to some extent. For example, witnessing the broad influence brought by the combination between grave robbing novels and the film and television,2015 is named "IP year of grave robbing literature". However, since most of the subcultures appear to solve problems symbolically, they fail to make much difference. The most important thing is that the mainstream culture will not indulge the development of subculture since the development of subculture may lead to moral "panic" to it. In the final analysis, this is attributed to the "hegemony" of the mainstream culture. Therefore, this subculture as network novel writing is destined to be incorporated.At present, network novel writing has become the most active and remarkable literary form and an important cultural phenomenon, which takes only ten years. It has unparalleled advantages over the mainstream literature in terms of expanding fiction genres, promoting vulgarization and popularization of literature, and reinforcing the connections between literature, film and television, and cartoon. Of course, this burgeoning writing is quite a mixed bag filled with both sands and gold. Nevertheless, holding different and mixed ideas, the mainstream literary world is not prepared for the rapid development of network novel writing. Hence, the mainstream literary world should not blindly regard it as a danger, literary junk or unduly glorify its position and function. It is urgent to work out new literary criticism standards to reexamine and define network novel writing.