Fighting the Forces: What's at Stake in Buffy the Vampire SlayerRhonda Wilcox, David Lavery For every television series, the original vision grows within a press of forces-both social and artistic expectations, conventions of the business, as well as conventions of the art. Bad television--predictable, commercial, exploitative--simply yields to the forces. Good television, like the character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, fights them. Fighting the Forces explores the struggle to create meaning in an impressive example of popular culture, the television series phenomenon Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the essays collected here, contributors examine the series using a variety of techniques and viewpoints. They analyze the social and cultural issues implicit in the series and place it in its literary context, not only by examining its literary influences (from German liebestod to Huckleberry Finn) but also by exploring the series' purposeful literary allusions. Furthermore, the book explores the extratextual, such as fanfiction and online discussion groups. The book is additionally supplemented by an online journal Slayage (www.slayage.tv), created by the book editors in acknowledgement of the ongoing nature of television art. Rhonda V. Wilcox and David Lavery have written and edited several books and articles exploring the social, literary, and artistic merit of quality television. In addition to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, their work has covered a variety of programs including Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure, The X-Files, and The Sopranos. |
Contents
Who Died and Made Her the Boss? Patterns of Mortality in Buffy | 3 |
My Emotions Give Me Power The Containment of Girls Anger in Buffy | 18 |
Im Buffy and YoureHistory The Postmodern Politics of Buffy | 35 |
Surpassing the Love of Vampires Or Why and How a Queer Reading of the BuffyWillow Relationship Is Denied | 45 |
Choosing Your Own Mother MotherDaughter Conflicts in Buffy | 61 |
Staking in Tongues Speech Act as Weapon in Buffy | 73 |
Slaying in Black and White Kendra as Tragic Mulatta in Buffy | 85 |
The Undemonization of Supporting Characters in Buffy | 98 |
HubbleBubble Herbs and Grimoires Magic Manichaeanism and Witchcraft in Buffy | 173 |
Whose Side Are You On Anyway? Children Adults and the Use of Fairy Tales in Buffy | 190 |
Forces of Art and Imagination Present Fan Relationships Metaphoric and Real | 200 |
Crossing the Final Taboo Family Sexuality and Incest in Buffyverse Fan Fiction | 202 |
My Boyfriends in the Band Buffy and the Rhetoric of Music | 213 |
Buffys Mary Sue Is Jonathan Buffy Acknowledges the Fans | 222 |
wwwbuffycom Cliques Boundaries and Hierarchies in an Internet Community | 234 |
The Genius of Joss Whedon | 246 |
Sometimes You Need a Story American Christianity Vampires and Buffy | 108 |
Forces of Art and Imagination Past Vampires Magic and Monsters | 126 |
Of Creatures and Creators Buffy Does Frankenstein | 128 |
Sex and the Single Vampire The Evolution of the Vampire Lothario and Its Representation in Buffy | 138 |
Digging the Undead Death and Desire in Buffy | 148 |
Spirit Guides and Shadow Selves From the Dream Life ofBuffy and Faith | 160 |
Episode Guide for Seasons 1 to 5 | 252 |
Bibliography | 256 |
268 | |
282 | |
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adult American anger becomes Bronze Buffy and Angel Buffy Summers Buffy the Vampire characters Cordelia create creature culture dark David David Fury dead death demon Doppelgängland Dracula Drusilla emotional episode evil Faith fan fiction fanfic fantasy fear female feminist fight film forces Frankenstein friends gender Gidget Giles Giles's Graduation Day hell Hellmouth hero high school human hurt-comfort Internet Jane Espenson Jenny Jenny Calendar Joss Whedon Joyce Kendra kill language magic male Manichaean Marti Noxon means metaphors monsters mother myth narrative never occult popular posting board Prophecy Girl queer reading relationship Restless Riley role Romantic Rupert Giles Sarah Michelle Gellar says scene Scooby Gang season sexual show's Slayer soul spell Spike story Sunnydale symbolic Tara teenage tion traditional tragic mulatta Vampire Slayer Victor viewers Walsh Watcher What's My Line Willow witch witchcraft women writers Xander