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A review by greatlibraryofalexandra
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale by James B. South
4.0
Each of these essays was not only well-thought out, but well laid out. The theses were clearly delineated and easy to follow, and arguments were all supported.
I took the advice of another reviewer and read "Feeling for Buffy" (the last essay in the collection) first - and I am glad I did. The authors are both (self) described as Buffy fans, yet their whole essay is dismissive, arrogant, and pedantic, and I question the inclusion of it in the anthology. They strike me as men who watched the show because they wanted to fuck Buffy, and (yes, I'll gatekeep here), Buffy isn't there for them.
This is part of the "Pop Culture and Philosophy" series and I'd encourage anyone to find one of these books that focuses on a pop culture area of their liking and read it. Like "The Good Place," this book places dense philosophical (and thus life) concepts in palatable form and illustrates them using relatable/familiar fiction/art. It's unique and its fun, and it legitimizes mediums (in this case Buffy) that people often don't give enough credit.
This collection elucidated a lot of philosophical concepts I wasn't familiar with, and because it was juxtaposed with BtVS, I thoroughly enjoyed the academy of it.
Some of my favorites:
"The I in Team: Buffy and Feminist Ethics" [Jessica Prata Miller]
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Feminist Noir" [Thomas Hibbs]
"Feminism and the Ethics of Violence: Why Buffy Kicks Ass" [Mimi Marinucci]
"Buffy in the Buff: A Slayer's Solution to Aristotle's Love Paradox" [Melissa M Milavec and Sharon M Kaye]
"Justifying the Means: Punishment in the Buffyverse" [Jacob M Held].
I also want to give a special shoutout to Neal King's "Brownskirts: Fascism, Christianity, an the Eternal Demon" - While I thought his take was, for the most part, bizarre, his unrelenting championing of Willow's flaying of Warren resonated with me. I didn't think his exploration of Buffy's racism in terms of how they treat their non-human characters was convincing or coherent (there is plenty of actual racism to be addressed in Buffy), but as a whole metaphor for what he was arguing, it came together, and his piece was perhaps the boldest and most interesting. Also - as already mentioned, he's one of the few I've ever seen celebrate Willow for what she did and argue that she should have fully been allowed to do it: I agree with him. Willow's flaying of Warren is, for me, one of the most visually satisfying moments of bloody vengeance in the show, and I love her for it.
I took the advice of another reviewer and read "Feeling for Buffy" (the last essay in the collection) first - and I am glad I did. The authors are both (self) described as Buffy fans, yet their whole essay is dismissive, arrogant, and pedantic, and I question the inclusion of it in the anthology. They strike me as men who watched the show because they wanted to fuck Buffy, and (yes, I'll gatekeep here), Buffy isn't there for them.
This is part of the "Pop Culture and Philosophy" series and I'd encourage anyone to find one of these books that focuses on a pop culture area of their liking and read it. Like "The Good Place," this book places dense philosophical (and thus life) concepts in palatable form and illustrates them using relatable/familiar fiction/art. It's unique and its fun, and it legitimizes mediums (in this case Buffy) that people often don't give enough credit.
This collection elucidated a lot of philosophical concepts I wasn't familiar with, and because it was juxtaposed with BtVS, I thoroughly enjoyed the academy of it.
Some of my favorites:
"The I in Team: Buffy and Feminist Ethics" [Jessica Prata Miller]
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Feminist Noir" [Thomas Hibbs]
"Feminism and the Ethics of Violence: Why Buffy Kicks Ass" [Mimi Marinucci]
"Buffy in the Buff: A Slayer's Solution to Aristotle's Love Paradox" [Melissa M Milavec and Sharon M Kaye]
"Justifying the Means: Punishment in the Buffyverse" [Jacob M Held].
I also want to give a special shoutout to Neal King's "Brownskirts: Fascism, Christianity, an the Eternal Demon" - While I thought his take was, for the most part, bizarre, his unrelenting championing of Willow's flaying of Warren resonated with me. I didn't think his exploration of Buffy's racism in terms of how they treat their non-human characters was convincing or coherent (there is plenty of actual racism to be addressed in Buffy), but as a whole metaphor for what he was arguing, it came together, and his piece was perhaps the boldest and most interesting. Also - as already mentioned, he's one of the few I've ever seen celebrate Willow for what she did and argue that she should have fully been allowed to do it: I agree with him. Willow's flaying of Warren is, for me, one of the most visually satisfying moments of bloody vengeance in the show, and I love her for it.