Rating: 
Summary: Views on Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the Ivory Towers
Review: "Reading the Vampire Slayer" is a critical appreciation of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" from those living in their proverbial ivory towers but glued to their tube for "BtVS." This collection of 10 essays focuses on seasons 1-5 of Buffy, 1-2 of Angel, and as the spelling of some of the words in some of these titles will tell you, a lot of these authors are British:
1. Roz Kaveney, "She Saved the World. A Lot: An Introduction to the themes and structure of 'Buffy' and 'Angel'" is the first and most fan friendly essay in this collection. Looking at character clusters and season structures, Kaveney does a nice job of articulating what most fans of "BtVS" have intuited regarding why the show works and works so well. The key section of the essay books at each season of "BtVS" in turn from the perspective of Big Bads and Emotional Traumas. This is the perfect introductory essay for this collection because it makes a clear case for how patterns and meaning become significant in this series. The only problem is that as the most comprehensive look at "BtVS" in this collection, readers (whether academicians or fans) will find all the rest of these efforts pale in comparison.
2. Boyd Tonkin, "Entropy as Demon: Buffy in Southern California," might have the most erroneous title of the bunch because the article focuses much more on So Cal than notions of entropy. Whereas "Angel" deals more explicitly with the cultural mythology of Los Angeles, "BtVS" creates a fictional local with Sunnydale that Tonkin argues "gives a fresh, and quite distinctive, twist to a strain of Southern Californian suburban noir that has flourished at least since the 1930s." However, the best parts of this essay look at the way "BtVS" confronts genre cliches and typologies.
3. Brian Wall and Michael Zryd, "Vampire Dialectics: Knowledge, Institutions and Labour" looks at the battles of Buffy and Angel with supernatural creatures as allegorical battles with the very logic or modernity. Writing in the tradition of Walter Benjamin and Fredric Jameson, this essay might be a struggle for many readers, but there are a couple of very interesting sections in which they look at the death of Joyce as the first "real" death in the series (all others being essentially "symbolic") and look at the evolution of Giles's character.
4. Steve Wilson, "Laugh, Spawn of Hell, Laugh," focuses on the jokes in Buffy and not just Xander's lame jokes but also the larger humor of casting adolescent growing pains as externalized demons. Wilson goes to great pains to catalogue the times of "time-honoured buffoonery" that abound on the show, making connections to the comic impulse in history from William Shakespeare to David Letterman with extensive dialogue examples. This essay might be much ado about nothing, but it will probably be one of the more enjoyable ones for readers.
5. Karen Sayer, "It Wasn't Our World Anymore--They Made It Theirs: Reading Space and Place," looks at the concept of Home on both "BtVS" and "Angel." Sayer is particularly interested in how the group on each soul takes over the space of a specific individual (e.g., Giles in terms of the library, his apartment and the Magic Box on "BtVS"). However, Occam's razor reminds us that
these shows have "x" number of sets and building/finding/using news ones costs money. Just keep that particular grain of salt in mind while you read this one.
6. Zoe-Jane Playden's "'What You Are, What's To Come': Feminism, citizenship, and the divine" starts off with the idea that important aspects of Virginia Woolf's seminal feminist manifesto are reflected in "BtVS." Playden uses the metaphor of Buffy on patrol to explore some pretty heavy philosophical notions and deals most explicitly with Christian imagery and Buffy's spirituality. I think this is probably the most ambitious essay in the collection.
7. Anne Millard Daugherty's "Just a Girl: Buffy as Icon" is concerned with how Buffy exists as a "post-gaze" product (i.e., she functions as a "feminist spectator icon"). Daugherty looks at the episodes "Beauty and the Beasts," "Family," and "Buffy vs. Dracula" to argue that no matter how cute Buffy is, she remains an icon for female representation.
8. Dave West's "'Concentrate on the kicking movie': "Buffy" and East Asian Cinema" argues that "BtVS" draws thematically on the entire tradition of East Asian cinema while using those themes in a decidedly different context. However, surprisingly West draws more upon the films of Akira Kurosawa, most notably "Seven Samurai" and "Yojimbo," rather than the Hong Kong martial art films that seem an obvious reference point. The more you know Kurosawa, the more you will enjoy this essay.
9. Esther Saxey's "Staking a Claim: The Series and Its Slash Fan-Fiction," is the essay that may well send the more innocent Buffy viewers who have stumbled across this book running to the hill. Slash is a genre of fan-fiction in which the relationships between characters are developed along overtly loving and sexual lines (i.e., a different interpretation for all that tension between Spike and Xander). However, the key point of Saxey's essay is how the series actually invites such interpretations. The "gay" subtext of Buffy's "coming out" as a Slayer to her mom was particularly interesting as was her exploration of the Buffy-Faith dynamic. This essay actually devotes relatively little time to actual examples of slash stories.
10. Ian Shuttleworth's "''They always mistake me for the character I play!': Transformation, identity and role-playing in the Buffyverse (and a defence of fine acting)", makes the compelling argument that actors in genre shows are called upon for greater complexity of performance than do most naturalistic dramas. This essay examines the complexity of identity as a major thread in both series, with some solid analysis of Xander, Willow and Giles. There are some nice critical insights into "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in this volume, and I think that overall, despite the academic verbiage, most of the show's fans will be able to follow along.
Rating:
Summary: Views on Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the Ivory Towers
Review: "Reading the Vampire Slayer" is a critical appreciation of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" from those living in their proverbial ivory towers but glued to their tube for "BtVS." This collection of 10 essays focuses on seasons 1-5 of Buffy, 1-2 of Angel, and as the spelling of some of the words in some of these titles will tell you, a lot of these authors are British:
1. Roz Kaveney, "She Saved the World. A Lot: An Introduction to the themes and structure of 'Buffy' and 'Angel'" is the first and most fan friendly essay in this collection. Looking at character clusters and season structures, Kaveney does a nice job of articulating what most fans of "BtVS" have intuited regarding why the show works and works so well. The key section of the essay books at each season of "BtVS" in turn from the perspective of Big Bads and Emotional Traumas. This is the perfect introductory essay for this collection because it makes a clear case for how patterns and meaning become significant in this series. The only problem is that as the most comprehensive look at "BtVS" in this collection, readers (whether academicians or fans) will find all the rest of these efforts pale in comparison.
2. Boyd Tonkin, "Entropy as Demon: Buffy in Southern California," might have the most erroneous title of the bunch because the article focuses much more on So Cal than notions of entropy. Whereas "Angel" deals more explicitly with the cultural mythology of Los Angeles, "BtVS" creates a fictional local with Sunnydale that Tonkin argues "gives a fresh, and quite distinctive, twist to a strain of Southern Californian suburban noir that has flourished at least since the 1930s." However, the best parts of this essay look at the way "BtVS" confronts genre cliches and typologies.
3. Brian Wall and Michael Zryd, "Vampire Dialectics: Knowledge, Institutions and Labour" looks at the battles of Buffy and Angel with supernatural creatures as allegorical battles with the very logic or modernity. Writing in the tradition of Walter Benjamin and Fredric Jameson, this essay might be a struggle for many readers, but there are a couple of very interesting sections in which they look at the death of Joyce as the first "real" death in the series (all others being essentially "symbolic") and look at the evolution of Giles's character.
4. Steve Wilson, "Laugh, Spawn of Hell, Laugh," focuses on the jokes in Buffy and not just Xander's lame jokes but also the larger humor of casting adolescent growing pains as externalized demons. Wilson goes to great pains to catalogue the times of "time-honoured buffoonery" that abound on the show, making connections to the comic impulse in history from William Shakespeare to David Letterman with extensive dialogue examples. This essay might be much ado about nothing, but it will probably be one of the more enjoyable ones for readers.
5. Karen Sayer, "It Wasn't Our World Anymore--They Made It Theirs: Reading Space and Place," looks at the concept of Home on both "BtVS" and "Angel." Sayer is particularly interested in how the group on each soul takes over the space of a specific individual (e.g., Giles in terms of the library, his apartment and the Magic Box on "BtVS"). However, Occam's razor reminds us that
these shows have "x" number of sets and building/finding/using news ones costs money. Just keep that particular grain of salt in mind while you read this one.
6. Zoe-Jane Playden's "'What You Are, What's To Come': Feminism, citizenship, and the divine" starts off with the idea that important aspects of Virginia Woolf's seminal feminist manifesto are reflected in "BtVS." Playden uses the metaphor of Buffy on patrol to explore some pretty heavy philosophical notions and deals most explicitly with Christian imagery and Buffy's spirituality. I think this is probably the most ambitious essay in the collection.
7. Anne Millard Daugherty's "Just a Girl: Buffy as Icon" is concerned with how Buffy exists as a "post-gaze" product (i.e., she functions as a "feminist spectator icon"). Daugherty looks at the episodes "Beauty and the Beasts," "Family," and "Buffy vs. Dracula" to argue that no matter how cute Buffy is, she remains an icon for female representation.
8. Dave West's "'Concentrate on the kicking movie': "Buffy" and East Asian Cinema" argues that "BtVS" draws thematically on the entire tradition of East Asian cinema while using those themes in a decidedly different context. However, surprisingly West draws more upon the films of Akira Kurosawa, most notably "Seven Samurai" and "Yojimbo," rather than the Hong Kong martial art films that seem an obvious reference point. The more you know Kurosawa, the more you will enjoy this essay.
9. Esther Saxey's "Staking a Claim: The Series and Its Slash Fan-Fiction," is the essay that may well send the more innocent Buffy viewers who have stumbled across this book running to the hill. Slash is a genre of fan-fiction in which the relationships between characters are developed along overtly loving and sexual lines (i.e., a different interpretation for all that tension between Spike and Xander). However, the key point of Saxey's essay is how the series actually invites such interpretations. The "gay" subtext of Buffy's "coming out" as a Slayer to her mom was particularly interesting as was her exploration of the Buffy-Faith dynamic. This essay actually devotes relatively little time to actual examples of slash stories.
10. Ian Shuttleworth's "''They always mistake me for the character I play!': Transformation, identity and role-playing in the Buffyverse (and a defence of fine acting)", makes the compelling argument that actors in genre shows are called upon for greater complexity of performance than do most naturalistic dramas. This essay examines the complexity of identity as a major thread in both series, with some solid analysis of Xander, Willow and Giles. There are some nice critical insights into "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in this volume, and I think that overall, despite the academic verbiage, most of the show's fans will be able to follow along.
Rating:
Summary: Finally!
Review: An intelligent Book of collected essays that actually delves under the surface of our favorite TV heroes and villians. I really appreciated this book which was not geared toward 12 year olds, but to people 20-something and older. I have been hungering for this type of insight and analysis instead of the fluff that is usually spewed. If you are tired of fiction that does not meet your expectations or biographies that repeat the same old info on David and Sarah, you should really try this one. It will not disappoint. Broaded your Buffy knowledge and impress all those cynics who think Buffy is just for kids.
Rating:
Summary: Finally!
Review: An intelligent Book of collected essays that actually delves under the surface of our favorite TV heroes and villians. I really appreciated this book which was not geared toward 12 year olds, but to people 20-something and older. I have been hungering for this type of insight and analysis instead of the fluff that is usually spewed. If you are tired of fiction that does not meet your expectations or biographies that repeat the same old info on David and Sarah, you should really try this one. It will not disappoint. Broaded your Buffy knowledge and impress all those cynics who think Buffy is just for kids.
Rating:
Summary: A Necessary Companion
Review: For the literary, the overeducated, or just those seeking like minds about how truly truly awesome Buffy can be, this book is great. From discussions about its fractured and fantastically unique dialogue to about a zillion essays on why Buffy isn't a feminist but still kicks guys' all over the screen, you *want* to read this book. Honestly, don't hesitate. I desperately love the critiques on its comedy: "This isn't the blather of kids who can't speak well, it's an honest reflection of the way our increasingly odd and perplexing world eludes easy expression. By pushing language to do what it's not supposed to, these lines capture the sensations and images of modern life that Webster's hasn't caught up with yet." (Wilson)
Rating:
Summary: Must have if you like talking and thinking...
Review: I can't begin to describe what it was like to get this as a Christmas present a couple of years ago. As a confirmed Buffy addict and a modern lit major, there were times where the "watch Buffy" parties lasted much longer than my friends could stand because I wanted to TALK ABOUT THE SHOW. Finally here was a volume of people who were just like me - well, maybe better educated and clear spoken, but you get the idea. If you're new to a show that's was on the air for 7 or so seasons, and like a little light theory, I'd advocate getting this book simply to put in perspective what all of those crazies are talking about. While every essay may not strike a chord, some of them will begin the painful process of explaining just why there are a number of fanatics out there who will watch this silly main character fulfill improbably plot lines till the very end. Read She saved the world. A lot. - An introduction to the themes and structures of Buffy and Angel. Don't skip it. It's the most important one for you. And for those of you who loved the show in the good old days but can't watch it past season three (because that's when it started to get bad), there's plenty of material here for you as well. Most of the discussions center around the early years - with good reason. That's when the identity of the show was forming itself and so many of the characteristics that make it so exciting were created. And they do talk about them, with abandon. Then for everyone who's like me, and watched the show till the bitter end, not just because you didn't have anything else to do on Tuesday nights, but because the characters (even when they were developed badly) and the sequences (even when they become overly dramatic) still had an almost inexpressible draw - you'll love this book because it whets your appetite for more. Each essay will call up just as many memories of watching the show as it does ask some of those questions your non-lit friends just don't want to entertain (or your het friends just don't want to discuss - see Staking a Claim #9). But in a very real sense, these essays seem like introductions to topics that can be discussed at greater length. Maybe it's simply wishful thinking on my part, but I think almost every chapter could begin it's own book. Maybe someday?
Rating:
Summary: Must have if you like talking and thinking...
Review: I can't begin to describe what it was like to get this as a Christmas present a couple of years ago. As a confirmed Buffy addict and a modern lit major, there were times where the "watch Buffy" parties lasted much longer than my friends could stand because I wanted to TALK ABOUT THE SHOW. Finally here was a volume of people who were just like me - well, maybe better educated and clear spoken, but you get the idea. If you're new to a show that's was on the air for 7 or so seasons, and like a little light theory, I'd advocate getting this book simply to put in perspective what all of those crazies are talking about. While every essay may not strike a chord, some of them will begin the painful process of explaining just why there are a number of fanatics out there who will watch this silly main character fulfill improbably plot lines till the very end. Read She saved the world. A lot. - An introduction to the themes and structures of Buffy and Angel. Don't skip it. It's the most important one for you. And for those of you who loved the show in the good old days but can't watch it past season three (because that's when it started to get bad), there's plenty of material here for you as well. Most of the discussions center around the early years - with good reason. That's when the identity of the show was forming itself and so many of the characteristics that make it so exciting were created. And they do talk about them, with abandon. Then for everyone who's like me, and watched the show till the bitter end, not just because you didn't have anything else to do on Tuesday nights, but because the characters (even when they were developed badly) and the sequences (even when they become overly dramatic) still had an almost inexpressible draw - you'll love this book because it whets your appetite for more. Each essay will call up just as many memories of watching the show as it does ask some of those questions your non-lit friends just don't want to entertain (or your het friends just don't want to discuss - see Staking a Claim #9). But in a very real sense, these essays seem like introductions to topics that can be discussed at greater length. Maybe it's simply wishful thinking on my part, but I think almost every chapter could begin it's own book. Maybe someday?
Rating:
Summary: Must have if you like talking and thinking...
Review: I can't begin to describe what it was like to get this as a Christmas present a couple of years ago. As a confirmed Buffy addict and a modern lit major, there were times where the "watch Buffy" parties lasted much longer than my friends could stand because I wanted to TALK ABOUT THE SHOW. Finally here was a volume of people who were just like me - well, maybe better educated and clear spoken, but you get the idea. If you're new to a show that's was on the air for 7 or so seasons, and like a little light theory, I'd advocate getting this book simply to put in perspective what all of those crazies are talking about. While every essay may not strike a chord, some of them will begin the painful process of explaining just why there are a number of fanatics out there who will watch this silly main character fulfill improbably plot lines till the very end. Read She saved the world. A lot. - An introduction to the themes and structures of Buffy and Angel. Don't skip it. It's the most important one for you. And for those of you who loved the show in the good old days but can't watch it past season three (because that's when it started to get bad), there's plenty of material here for you as well. Most of the discussions center around the early years - with good reason. That's when the identity of the show was forming itself and so many of the characteristics that make it so exciting were created. And they do talk about them, with abandon. Then for everyone who's like me, and watched the show till the bitter end, not just because you didn't have anything else to do on Tuesday nights, but because the characters (even when they were developed badly) and the sequences (even when they become overly dramatic) still had an almost inexpressible draw - you'll love this book because it whets your appetite for more. Each essay will call up just as many memories of watching the show as it does ask some of those questions your non-lit friends just don't want to entertain (or your het friends just don't want to discuss - see Staking a Claim #9). But in a very real sense, these essays seem like introductions to topics that can be discussed at greater length. Maybe it's simply wishful thinking on my part, but I think almost every chapter could begin it's own book. Maybe someday?
Rating:
Summary: More fun watching the show after reading these essays
Review: I really enjoyed reading this collection of critical essays. They are well-written, interesting (well, interesting if one is a fan of "Buffy" and "Angel") and insightful. For me, the best aspect of reading this book was that I wanted to watch many of the episodes of the first five seasons of "Buffy" again.
Rating:
Summary: From Comic Surrealism to Operatic Romanticism
Review: I remember my first attitude to the Buffy show was: "Oh, the acting is so bad." The problem was that I'd seen "one" show and the one I had seen was the one where Spike has the "robot Buffy." So, you can imagine. Anyway, since then I started watching all the shows from the start. That is key. Once you start watching them you get addicted. Then you find yourself buying books like "Reading the Vampire Slayer." There is a lot more to this show than just "the show." The script often only makes sense if you have the "history" of the show locked away in your memory. I'm just watching Season Four. This book has an episode guide for the first five seasons, so it is like a sneak peak for those of us still waiting for all the DVD releases. Worth the wait. For me, the main appeal of the show is the "emotions Buffy experiences." She goes from being with the wrong guy to finding a guy who makes her truly happy. She really has to go through hell to find some measure of happiness and while watching the show, you feel her pain and happiness. It is interesting to note that the first three seasons were the most painful and the funniest. Not because of the pain mind you. I love how Buffy goes after what she wants, but she is also smart enough to know when it is time to let things go. What she doesn't do is "forget" Angel. She doesn't ever seem to forget him, even though she does fall for other guys later. Their relationship is so tragic, yet beautiful. The Contents of this Book Include: The Regular, recurring or otherwise significant characters of Buffy and Angel. (It is amusing how even if a character disappears from the show "permanently," they always seem to get back in through dreams, wandering thoughts or at least anything seems possible. I remember finding out Angel was leaving the show and then being pleasantly surprised by his reappearance later. This is amusing. Anyway, this section has all the names of the characters and who they are, what they do and who they are in love with. The all important facts.) 1. She saved the world. A lot. - An introduction to the themes and structures of Buffy and Angel. (Roz Kaveney admits to never being so seduced by a television show before. We agree. There is a comparison to other TV shows and an explanation of how Buffy can become an obsession. I'm not sure I agree with the point about offending people being a good thing, however I tend to think of Buffy as "fantasy" and maybe the Religious Right being spoken of here isn't into "fantasy." They do present a lot of "Wicca" type elements (I did my research in regards to praying to Greek gods and goddesses) in the show. But then again, many people are willing to watch shows with murder and do all of them go out and murder? I think personal responsibility is a good thing in such cases and the show is for thinking adults. The first chapter gives the basic plot for the first five seasons. Ok, so you can cheat and read about Angel if you haven't started watching those shows.) 2. Entropy as Demon: Buffy in Southern California (Discussions of Gothic fantasia and Southern Californian Suburban noir. What is interesting about this essay is how some of the shows relate to things that really happened in Southern California.) 3. Vampire Dialectics: Knowledge, institutions and Labour (Ah, someone else noticed the Main villain as an institution. I noticed this early in the shows. It seemed everyone in authority was evil. Giles seems immune for the most part, yet he even has an evil side. Other teachers, mayors, etc do not escape.) 4. Laugh, spawn of Hell, laugh (Mostly quotes and conversations. I did rather like the conversation between Xander and Cordelia on pg. 88 where Cordelia asks why Xander won?t die for her and he says he might die FROM her.) 5. It wasn't our world anymore. They made it theirs: Reading space and place. (Interesting point about the horror of becoming an adult being related to the horror of becoming a vampire. Lots of information about Angel in this essay. I thought it was amusing that they put in a Henry David Thoreau quote in regards to coffins.) 6. What you are, what's to come? Feminisms, citizenship and the divine (Ah, ha again. Nice realization of Buffy as a female-Christ and information on the goddess Inanna and her dark side and Greek mythology in regards to Artemis. This essay also discusses the Christian elements of the show. The resurrection elements. This is the best essay of the bunch.) 7. Just a Girl: Buffy as icon (Discussion of Buffy as a symbol of female empowerment. Did someone just say "stunt double." Wait, wait, this can't be. ;) This is not just an essay about Buffy, this delves into Willow and Tara's relationship.) 8. Concentrate on the kicking movie: Buffy and East Asian Cinema (Comparisons to popular movies. Way over my head.) 9. Staking a Claim: The Series and its slash fan-fiction 10. They always mistake me for the character I play: Transformation, identity and role-playing in the Buffyverse (and a defense of fine acting) (Discussion of the major transformation the characters endure.) A book for the intellectual viewer. Well, if you are watching Buffy and enjoying it, you must be on a higher level already. I hate TV for the most part, but love the Buffy show. "Reading the Vampire Slayer" will appeal to the viewer who loves intense, deliciously intellectual writing. Divine Vocabulary!
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