A review by bluestjuice
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale by James B. South

3.0

This was an interesting read. In most ways I didn't find it a particularly in-depth analysis of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer: rather, I found it an interesting introduction to various topics of philosophical thought, discussed through the lens of this television show. I learned much more of interest in regards to philosophy, for example, schools of thought on ethical choice and moral decision making, than I expected. I'm still not much of a studied philosopher, but many of these essays offered nuggets of insight or perspectives that I had not really considered previously. Not surprisingly, perhaps, as this was not actually the stated purpose of the book, I did not find much here offering critique of Buffy in terms of its literary or media merits, arguing for or against the success of the show, or analyzing the plot or actions of any of the characters. For the most part (the final essay was a notable exception) these writers took the show's depth and merit as unquestioned fact and used the plot and characters as a springboard to develop and illustrate their ideas about philosophical thought. This is not really literary analysis, it is a different beast. I enjoyed it, but not enough to want to revisit it repeatedly. I think a deeper understanding of philosophical thought would require more in-depth texts, and a deeper analysis of Buffy the Vampire Slayer would require an entirely different work.