Fighting the Forces What's at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

by Wilcox, Rhonda V.; Lavery, David; Smith, Camille Bacon; Busse, Katrina; Dechert, S Renee; DeKelb-Rittenhouse, Diane; Edwards, Lynne; Erikson, Greg; Gatson, Sarah N.; Helford, Elyce Rae; Keller, Donald; Krimmer, Elizabeth; Kryzywinska, Tanya; Larbalestier,

• ISBN13: 9780742516809
• ISBN10: 0742516806
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-02-25
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

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. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Table of Contents

Foreword: The Color of the Dark in Buffy the Vampire Slayer	xi
Camille Bacon-Smith
Acknowledgments	xv
Introduction	xvii
Rhonda V. Wilcox
David Lavery
Part I: Forces of Society and Culture: Gender, Generations, Violence, Class, Race, and Religion
``Who Died and Made Her the Boss?'' Patterns of Mortality in Buffy	3	(15)
Rhonda V. Wilcox
``My Emotions Give Me Power'': The Containment of Girls' Anger in Buffy	18	(17)
Elyce Rae Helford
``I'm Buffy, and You're. . . History'': The Postmodern Politics of Buffy	35	(10)
Patricia Pender
Surpassing the Love of Vampires; or, Why (and How) a Queer Reading of the Buffy/Willow Relationship Is Denied	45	(16)
Farah Mendlesohn
Choosing Your Own Mother: Mother-Daughter Conflicts in Buffy	61	(12)
J. P. Williams
Staking in Tongues: Speech Act as Weapon in Buffy	73	(12)
Karen Eileen Overbey
Lahney Preston-Matto
Slaying in Black and White: Kendra as Tragic Mulatta in Buffy	85	(13)
Lynne Edwards
The Undemonization of Supporting Characters in Buffy	98	(10)
Mary Alice Money
``Sometimes You Need a Story'': American Christianity, Vampires, and Buffy	108	(12)
Gregory Erickson
Darkness Falls on the Endless Summer: Buffy as Gidget for the Fin de Siecle	120	(13)
Catherine Siemann
Part II: Forces of Art and Imagination (Past): Vampires, Magic, and Monsters
Of Creatures and Creators: Buffy Does Frankenstein	133	(10)
Anita Rose
Sex and the Single Vampire: The Evolution of the Vampire Lothario and Its Representation in Buffy	143	(10)
Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse
``Digging the Undead'': Death and Desire in Buffy	153	(12)
Elisabeth Krimmer
Shilpa Raval
Spirit Guides and Shadow Selves: From the Dream Life of Buffy (and Faith)	165	(13)
Donald Keller
Hubble-Bubble, Herbs, and Grimoires: Magic, Manichaeanism, and Witchcraft in Buffy	178	(17)
Tanya Krzywinska
Whose Side Are You on, Anyway? Children, Adults, and the Use of Fairy Tales in Buffy	195	(12)
Sarah E. Skwire
Part III: Forces of Art and Imagination (Present): Fan Relationships, Metaphoric and Real
Crossing the Final Taboo: Family, Sexuality, and Incest in Buffyverse Fan Fiction	207	(11)
Kristina Busse
``My Boyfriend's in the Band!'' Buffy and the Rhetoric of Music	218	(9)
S. Renee Dechert
Buffy's Mary Sue Is Jonathan: Buffy Acknowledges the Fans	227	(12)
Justine Larbalestier
www.buffy.com: Cliques, Boundaries, and Hierarchies in an Internet Community	239	(12)
Amanda Zweerink
Sarah N. Gatson
Afterword: The Genius of Joss Whedon	251	(6)
David Lavery
Episode Guide for Seasons 1 to 5	257	(4)
Bibliography	261	(12)
Index	273	(14)
About the Contributors	287