Reading Joss Whedon

In an age when geek chic has come to define mainstream pop culture, few writers and producers inspire more admiration and response than Joss Whedon. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Much Ado About Nothing, from Dr. Horrible’s Sing–Along Blog to The Avengers, the works of Whedon have been the focus of increasing academic attention. This collection of articles represents some of the best work covering a wide array of topics that clarify Whedon’s importance, including considerations of narrative and visual techniques, myth construction, symbolism, gender, heroism, and the business side of television. The editors argue that Whedon’s work is of both social and aesthetic significance; that he creates "canonical television." He is a master of his artistic medium and has managed this success on broadcast networks rather than on cable.

From the focus on a single episode to the exploration of an entire season, from the discussion of a particular narrative technique to a recounting of the history of Whedon studies, this collection will both entertain and educate those exploring Whedon scholarship for the first time and those planning to teach a course on his works.

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Reading Joss Whedon

In an age when geek chic has come to define mainstream pop culture, few writers and producers inspire more admiration and response than Joss Whedon. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Much Ado About Nothing, from Dr. Horrible’s Sing–Along Blog to The Avengers, the works of Whedon have been the focus of increasing academic attention. This collection of articles represents some of the best work covering a wide array of topics that clarify Whedon’s importance, including considerations of narrative and visual techniques, myth construction, symbolism, gender, heroism, and the business side of television. The editors argue that Whedon’s work is of both social and aesthetic significance; that he creates "canonical television." He is a master of his artistic medium and has managed this success on broadcast networks rather than on cable.

From the focus on a single episode to the exploration of an entire season, from the discussion of a particular narrative technique to a recounting of the history of Whedon studies, this collection will both entertain and educate those exploring Whedon scholarship for the first time and those planning to teach a course on his works.

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Overview

In an age when geek chic has come to define mainstream pop culture, few writers and producers inspire more admiration and response than Joss Whedon. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Much Ado About Nothing, from Dr. Horrible’s Sing–Along Blog to The Avengers, the works of Whedon have been the focus of increasing academic attention. This collection of articles represents some of the best work covering a wide array of topics that clarify Whedon’s importance, including considerations of narrative and visual techniques, myth construction, symbolism, gender, heroism, and the business side of television. The editors argue that Whedon’s work is of both social and aesthetic significance; that he creates "canonical television." He is a master of his artistic medium and has managed this success on broadcast networks rather than on cable.

From the focus on a single episode to the exploration of an entire season, from the discussion of a particular narrative technique to a recounting of the history of Whedon studies, this collection will both entertain and educate those exploring Whedon scholarship for the first time and those planning to teach a course on his works.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780815652830
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Publication date: 05/16/2014
Series: Television and Popular Culture
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 4 MB

About the Author

Rhonda V. Wilcox is professor of English at Gordon State College in Georgia.

Tanya R. Cochran is associate professor of English at Union College in Nebraska.

Cynthea Masson is professor of English at Vancouver Island University.

David Lavery is professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University.

Table of Contents

Contents by Topic xi

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction: Much Ado about Whedon Rhonda V. Wilcox 1

Part 1 Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: An Introduction Rhonda V. Wilcox 17

From Beneath You, It Foreshadows: Why Butty's First Season Matters David Kociemba 22

Hero's Journey, Heroine's Return?: Buffy, Eurydice, and the Orpheus Myth Janet K. Halfyard 40

"It's Like Some Primal, Some Animal Force … That Used to Be Us": Animality, Humanity, and Moral Careers in the Buffyverse Anany Mukherjea 53

"Can I Spend the Night/Alone?": Segments and Connections in "Conversations with Dead People" Rhonda V. Wilcox 70

"Hey, Respect the Narrative Flow Much?": Problematic Storytelling in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Richard S. Albright 84

All Those Apocalypses: Disaster Studies and Community in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel Linda J. Jencson 99

Part 2 Angel

Angel: An introduction Cynthea Masson 115

"Enough of the Action, Let's Get Back to Dancing": Joss Whedon Directs Angel Stagey Abbott 119

What the Hell?: Angel's 'The Girl in Question" Cynthea Masson 134

Part 3 Firefly and Serenity

Firefly and Serenity: An Introduction Tanya R. Cochran 149

Firefly: Of Formats, Franchises, and Fox Matthew Pateman 153

"Wheel Never Stops Turning": Space and Time in Firefly and Serenity Alyson R. Buckman 169

Metaphoric Unity and Ending: Sending and Receiving Firefly's Last "Message" Elizabeth L. Rambo 185

Part 4 Dollhouse

Dollhouse: An Introduction David Lavery 201

Reflections in the Pool: Echo, Narcissus, and the Male Gaze in Dollhouse K. Dale Koontz 205

"There Is No Me; I'm Just a Container": Law and the Loss of Personhood in Dollhouse Sharon Sutherland Sarah Swan 221

Part 5 Beyond the Box

Joining the Evil League of Evil: The Rhetoric of Posthuman Negotiation in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Slog Victoria Willis 237

Butty's Season 8, Image and Text: Superhero Self-Fashioning Marni Stanley 250

Watchers in the Woods: Meta-Horror, Genre Hybridity, and Reality TV Critique in The Cabin in the Woods Kristopher Karl Woofter 268

Joss Whedon Throws His Mighty Shield: Marvel's The Avengers as War Movie Ensley F. Guffey 280

Part 6 Overarching Topics

Stuffing a Rabbit in It: Character, Narrative, and Time in the Whedonverses Lorna Jowett 297

Adventures in the Moral Imagination: Memory and Identity in Whedon's Narrative Ethics J. Douglas Rabel J. Michael Richardson 312

Technology and Magic: Joss Whedon's Explorations of the Mind Jeffrey Bussolini 325

From Old Heresies to Future Paradigms: Joss Whedon on Body and Soul Gregory Erickson 341

"Hot Chicks with Superpowers": The Contested Feminism of Joss Whedon Lauren Schultz 356

Whedon Studies: A Living History, 1999-2013 Tanya R. Cochran 371

References 395

Contributors 441

Index 447

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