Buffy studies
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Buffy studies, also called Buffyology, is the study of Joss Whedon's popular television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and, to a lesser extent, its spin-off program Angel. It explores issues related to gender, family, ethics and other philosophical issues as expressed through the content of these shows in the fictional Buffyverse. Neda Ulaby of NPR describes Buffy as having a "special following among academics, some of whom have staked a claim in what they call 'Buffy Studies'".[1] Though not widely recognized as a distinct discipline, the term "Buffy studies" is commonly used amongst the academic Buffy-related writings.[2]
Development as academic field
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The original run of Buffy (1997–2003) eventually led to the publication of a number of books and hundreds of articles examining the themes of the show from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives including sociology, psychology, philosophy, theology, and women's studies. One of the first texts was written by David Graeber, who published the article Rebel Without a God [3] in 1998. Since January 2001, Slayage: The Online Journal of Buffy Studies has published essays on the topic quarterly, and it continues to do so. Fighting the Forces: What's at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer was published in 2002, and since then many more Buffy books have been published by academic book publishers. There have also been a number of international conferences on the topic.[4] "College courses across the globe are devoted to the show, and secondary schools in Australia and New Zealand also provide Buffy classes."[5] The topic can even be undertaken as part of a Master's degree in Cult Film & TV at Brunel University, London.[6] Increasingly, Angel is being analyzed alongside its predecessor, e.g. in the 2005 publication, Reading Angel. The creator of Buffy, Joss Whedon, has responded to the scholarly reaction to his series: "I think it's great that the academic community has taken an interest in the show. I think it's always important for academics to study popular culture, even if the thing they are studying is idiotic. If it's successful or made a dent in culture, then it is worthy of study to find out why. Buffy, on the other hand is, I hope, not idiotic. We think very carefully about what we're trying to say emotionally, politically, and even philosophically while we're writing it... it really is, apart from being a pop-culture phenomenon, something that is deeply layered textually episode by episode."[7] The Third International Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses was held June 5–8, 2008 at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.[8] The response to this scholarly attention has had its critics. Jes Battis, who authored Blood Relations in Buffy and Angel, has stated that study of the Buffyverse "invokes an uneasy combination of enthusiasm and ire", and meets "a certain amount of disdain from within the halls of the academy".[9]
Examples of explored themes
Gender studies
- Lorna Jowett, 2005: Sex and The Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer for the Buffy Fan.
- In this paper, published by Wesleyan University Press, Jowett, senior lecturer in American Studies at The University of Northampton and Buffy fan, states that ‘Buffy may be “Barbie with a kung-fu grip”, but she is still Barbie’ (p. 197). Jowett identifies the show as being “post-feminist”, while arguing that it fails to challenge gender stereotypes in meaningful ways. Jowetts book's first 3 chapters are entitled: Girl Power, Good Girls and Bad Girls, in which Jowett dissects the stereotypes within the female characters that, she argues, are reinforced by the show. The next three chapters are broken into the male stereotypes: Tough men, New Men and Dead Boys. Jowett states that reinforcement of stereotypes exists within the show for male characters as well.[10][11]
Pop culture studies
- Dee Amy-Chinn and Milly Williamson, 2005: The Vampire Spike in text and fandom: Unsettling oppositions in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
- Amy-Chinn, senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and Williamson, of Brunel University, focus on a specific character in this paper, Spike, who as argued by the authors, embodies “the simultaneous expression of erotic repulsion and attraction” and a “fear of and desire for the ‘other’”. The authors compare and contrast the character of Spike to the show’s general treatment of sexuality and self.[12]
- Marcella Lins, 2020: Libertarianism in Pop Culture: Applying libertarian principles to Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Season 4.
Marcella Lins, researcher at Universidade Anhembi Morumbi, revisits Buffy’s Season 4 and analyzes it through a libertarian perspective. Over this season, a great number of relevant subjects are discussed, such as the form and function of the state, its relationship with society, the subversion of public authorities and the morality of law and punishment. It is expected that the successful adoption of libertarian ethics and principles to understand this TV show might bring out Libertarianism as a valuable philosophical alternative to be taken into account when looking for solutions to current issues.[13]
Media studies
- Rhonda Wilcox, 2005: Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
- Why does Buffy Matter? In this paper Wilcox makes the attempt to bring this television show into perspective for us. Wilcox says, “It matters because it shows that television can be art, and deserves to be so studied…the depth of the characters, the truth of the stories, the profundity of the themes, and their precise incarnation in language, sound and image – all of these matter.” (Wilcox 419). While giving in depth details of all of these elements and also drawing on other academic articles about Buffy, Wilcox helps to bring this television series to the same page for all fans interested in Buffy; from those who are a bit unsure about the series all the way to those die hard fans.
- Wilcox, Rhonda & Lavery, David, 2002. “Fighting the Forces: What’s at Stake for Buffy The Vampire Slayer.”
- "Fighting the Forces” explores the struggle to create meaning in an impressive example of popular culture, the television series phenomenon “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. These essays analyze the social and cultural issues implicit in the series and place it in its literary context. Editors Wilcox and Lavery have opened an intriguing doorway to fans of this show, “Issues of gender, generations, race, class, and violence are treated seriously, through an in-depth analysis of both main characters and sidekicks. Class and race are discussed through a study of Buffy’s and her friends’ relationship with the two "other" slayers, American white trash Faith and Jamaican Kendra.” Wilcox and Lavery analyze these many concepts while critiquing other scholarly essays such as “God, New Religious Movements, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Everything Philosophical About Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”[14]
Family studies
- Burr, Vivien, and Jarvis, C., September 2007. “Imagining the Family Representations of Alternative Lifestyles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
- This paper offers studies of the family and how media families affect the views of young people. Through the television show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Burr explores the dangers and advantages of non-normative family forms, especially the non-genetic or ‘chosen’ families. (Burr) There is also a focus that Buffy “endorses a non-hierarchical, ‘democratic vision’ of the family. (Giddens, 1992) Also, Buffy can generate ‘interactive social worlds’ that are a main focus of the spreading of new social, familial practices (Plummer, 1995). Family is viewed in a new and different way through Buffy that leads to such innovations as well in practice and research on the subject.[15]
Aesthetics
- Kociemba, David, 2006: “Actually, it explains a lot": Reading the Opening Title Sequences in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
- This paper examines the opening title sequences of the television series in detail, looking at the use of imagery, color, editing, logo, credits, title, and scoring. The opening title sequences of Buffy the Vampire Slayer function as a microcosm of the series itself. They reveal the influence of the creators’ perception of their audience and their own work, the medium's narrative and artistic conventions, and the media industry's own practices. They construct the series’ past, shape the viewer's present experience of the episode, and prepare the way for future narratives. This article won the "Short Mr. Pointy" award for excellence in scholarship in Buffy Studies from the Whedon Studies Association.[16]
Additional works
| Book title | Released | Description | Author(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Afterlife of Genre: Remnants of the Trauerspiel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 2014 | An analysis, drawing on Walter Benjamin, of the hidden theology of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the television series in general. | Anthony Curtis Adler |
| Buffy and Angel Conquer the Internet: Essays on Online Fandom | 2009 | A multidisciplinary examination of the two series' fandom. | Mary Kirby-Diaz (editor) |
| Buffy Goes Dark | 2009 | A look at the final two seasons of Buffy, aired on UPN. | Lynne Y. Edwards, Elizabeth L. Rambo, James B. South |
| Faith and Choice in the Works of Joss Whedon | 2008–04 | Exploration of the spiritual and ethical choices made in the Buffyverse by K. Dale Koontz. | K. Dale Koontz |
| The Existential Joss Whedon: Evil and Human Freedom in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and Serenity | 2006–04 | This book examines Joss Whedon's work in an existential light, focusing on ethics, good vs evil, choice, and free will. | Michael Richardson, J. Douglas Rabb |
| The Aesthetics of Culture in Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 2006–01 | Matthew Pateman's examination of the cultural commentary contained in Buffy. | Matthew Pateman |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BFI TV Classics) | 2005–12 | Extended overview of the history of Buffy. | Anne Billson |
| Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 2005–10 | Rhonda Wilcox, presents an argument for Buffy as an art form as worthy of respect and acknowledgment as film or literature. | Rhonda V. Wilcox |
| Reading Angel: The TV Spin-off With a Soul | 2005–09 | Collection covering many topics including the cinematic aesthetics of Angel, its music, shifting portrayals of masculinity, the noir Los Angeles setting, and the superhero. | Stacey Abbott (editor) |
| Blood Relations: Chosen Families in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel | 2005–06 | Explores conceptions of family explored in Buffy and Angel. | Jes Battis |
| Sex and the Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer for the Buffy Fan | 2005–04 | Sex and the Slayer provides an introduction to feminism through Buffy. | Lorna Jowett |
| Five Seasons of Angel | 2004–10 | A science-fiction novelist and other writers contribute a collection of essays on Angel. | Glenn Yeffeth (editor) |
| Televised Morality: The Case of Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 2004–04 | Book arguing that TV helps shapes society's moral values, and in this case specifically Buffy. | Gregory Stevenson |
| What Would Buffy Do?: The Vampire Slayer as Spiritual Guide | 2004–04 | Look at the spiritual guidelines and religious themes on display in Buffy despite the atheism of the show's creator. | Jana Riess |
| Reading the Vampire Slayer | 2004–03 | The book gives in-depth analysis highlighting the many hidden metaphors held within Buffy and Angel. | Roz Kaveney |
| Seven Seasons of Buffy | 2003–09 | A science-fiction novelist and other writers contribute a collection of essays on Buffy. | Glenn Yeffeth (editor), David Brin (Goodreads Author) (contributor), Justine Larbalestier (contributor) |
| Slayer Slang: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lexicon | 2003–07 | An in depth study on the post-modern youth language used in Buffy. | Michael Adams |
| Bite Me: Narrative Structures and Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 2003–05 | Relating narrative structures with: audience pleasure, mise en scène, and the use of symbolism and metaphor. | Sue Turnbull |
| Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy | 2003–05 | Short biography of the creator of Buffy, featuring interviews with various casts and crews he has worked with, and an analysis of his creative processes. | Candace Havens |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale | 2003–03 | Links classical philosophy to the ethics in Buffy. | James B. South, William Irwin (editor) |
| Fighting the Forces: What's at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 2002–04 | Looks at the struggle to examine meaning in Buffy. | Rhonda V. Wilcox (Editor), David Lavery (editor) |
| Music, Sound, and Silence in Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 2010–05 | This book describes the show's imaginative and widely varied use of music, sound and silence. | Paul Attinello, Janet K. Halfyard (editor), Vanessa Knights (editor) |
| Once Bitten: An Unofficial Guide to the World of Angel | 2004–11 | Features a history of the show; a section profiling the best websites; a look at Buffy and Angel's recognition in academic circles; a complete episode guide to all five series of Angel; and exclusive behind-the-scenes photos. | Nikki Stafford |
| Bite Me! Sarah Michelle Gellar and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" | 1998–12 | Revised and updated to include information about all six seasons of Buffy, this ultimate guide to one of televisions hottest shows also includes capsule reviews of the full first three seasons of the spin-off Angel, with more emphasis put on the crossover episodes between the two shows. | Nikki Stafford |
| Bite Me! An Unofficial Guide to the World of Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 2002–09 | BITE ME! spotlights Sarah's role in the show and features entertaining commentary on each episode, as well as background information about the stories in them (Re-released in 2008). | Nikki Stafford |
| Undead TV: Essays on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" | 2008–01 |
See also
References
External linksOnline works
References in the media
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