The Aesthetics of Culture in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

On the TV screen as elsewhere, there is often more than meets the eye. For decades, television has offered not just entertainment, but observations--subtle and otherwise--on society. This book examines the cultural commentary contained in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, a show that ran for seven seasons (1997-2003) and 144 episodes.

On the surface, Buffy is the marriage of a high school drama to gothic horror. This somewhat unusual vehicle is used to present, via the character of Buffy, fairly typical views of late 20th century culture-teenage problems; issues regarding a broken home; and the search for meaning and validation. In addition, subtler themes, such as cultural views of knowledge, ethnicity and history, are woven into the show's critique of popular culture. Organized into two sections, this volume offers an in-depth examination of the show: first, through the lens of Buffy's confrontation with culture, and second, from the complex perspectives of the individual characters. Issues such as values, ethical choices and the implications of one's actions are discussed--without ever losing sight of the limitations of a medium that will always be dominated by financial concerns. The final chapter summarizes what Buffy has to say about today's society. An appendix lists Buffy episodes in chronological order.

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The Aesthetics of Culture in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

On the TV screen as elsewhere, there is often more than meets the eye. For decades, television has offered not just entertainment, but observations--subtle and otherwise--on society. This book examines the cultural commentary contained in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, a show that ran for seven seasons (1997-2003) and 144 episodes.

On the surface, Buffy is the marriage of a high school drama to gothic horror. This somewhat unusual vehicle is used to present, via the character of Buffy, fairly typical views of late 20th century culture-teenage problems; issues regarding a broken home; and the search for meaning and validation. In addition, subtler themes, such as cultural views of knowledge, ethnicity and history, are woven into the show's critique of popular culture. Organized into two sections, this volume offers an in-depth examination of the show: first, through the lens of Buffy's confrontation with culture, and second, from the complex perspectives of the individual characters. Issues such as values, ethical choices and the implications of one's actions are discussed--without ever losing sight of the limitations of a medium that will always be dominated by financial concerns. The final chapter summarizes what Buffy has to say about today's society. An appendix lists Buffy episodes in chronological order.

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The Aesthetics of Culture in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Aesthetics of Culture in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

by Matthew Pateman
The Aesthetics of Culture in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Aesthetics of Culture in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

by Matthew Pateman

eBook

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Overview

On the TV screen as elsewhere, there is often more than meets the eye. For decades, television has offered not just entertainment, but observations--subtle and otherwise--on society. This book examines the cultural commentary contained in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, a show that ran for seven seasons (1997-2003) and 144 episodes.

On the surface, Buffy is the marriage of a high school drama to gothic horror. This somewhat unusual vehicle is used to present, via the character of Buffy, fairly typical views of late 20th century culture-teenage problems; issues regarding a broken home; and the search for meaning and validation. In addition, subtler themes, such as cultural views of knowledge, ethnicity and history, are woven into the show's critique of popular culture. Organized into two sections, this volume offers an in-depth examination of the show: first, through the lens of Buffy's confrontation with culture, and second, from the complex perspectives of the individual characters. Issues such as values, ethical choices and the implications of one's actions are discussed--without ever losing sight of the limitations of a medium that will always be dominated by financial concerns. The final chapter summarizes what Buffy has to say about today's society. An appendix lists Buffy episodes in chronological order.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781476606125
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date: 03/21/2015
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 288
File size: 1 MB
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Matthew Pateman is Head of School, Performance and Screen Studies at Kingston University Kingston, Surrey.
Matthew Pateman is Head of School, Performance and Screen Studies at Kingston University Kingston, Surrey.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgmentsvii
A Note on the Textxi
Introduction: "What kind of name is Buffy?"1
Part IAesthetics and Cultures in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
1Aesthetics, Culture and Knowledge: "Everyone forgets, Willow, that knowledge is the ultimate weapon"15
2Aesthetics, Culture and Ethnicity: "Silly, silly British Man"38
3Aesthetics, Culture and History: "She lives very much in the 'now'"62
4Aesthetics, Culture and Ethics: "You can tell it's not gonna have a happy ending when the main guy's all bumpy"85
Part IIRestless Traditions: The Aesthetics of Involution in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
5The Aesthetics of Involution: "I've got a theory"109
6Willow's Dream: "It's exactly like a Greek tragedy"126
7Xander's Dream: "It's all about the journey, isn't it?"146
8Giles's Dream: "There's a great deal going on. And all at once"164
9Buffy's Dream: "You think you know what you are?"183
Conclusion: "I'd call that a radical interpretation of the text"208
AppendixEpisode Listing213
Notes221
Bibliography247
Index263
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