Edited by Emily Dial-Driver, Sally Emmons-Featherston, Jim Ford, and Carolyn Anne Taylor
Pop culture is often maligned for being throwaway entertainment, and it may therefore seem somewhat strange to see a minor network's show about a teenage girl battling various demons praised with the critical acclaim and academic study afforded to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy does, however, probe deep and complex philosophical and moral issues throughout its seven-season run, the variety of which is reflected in the essays of The Truth of Buffy. Tackling issues raised in and developed by Buffy, various academics explore the academic side of popular culture and universally defend the ability of a genre-bending cult phenomenon to be both popular and smart. While some essays, such as baffling show-off "Is It Art," which wastes its pages showcasing the author's knowledge of classical art while almost completely ignoring "Hush," perhaps the series's best episode, fall into typical academic pitfalls, the quality of the essays is generally passable. "Not Just Another Love Song" and "The Ants Go Marching" tackle the particular uses of music in the series, providing interesting insights into some of the art of television as displayed in Buffy. Other essays, such as "What Shall Cordelia Say?," "Witchy Women," and "Is That Stereotype Dead" get a bit off track but adequately work to put Buffy in a greater artistic context, exploring the way that the show plays off of predecessors like Shakespeare or within the context of modern Native American stereotypes.
The most successful and, therefore, interesting essays are, however, the pieces that examine the content of Buffy over several of its seasons and examine the way in which the series illuminates life. "Lord Acton Is Alive and Well in Sunnydale" provides an interesting, if somewhat stunted, look at power politics in the Buffyverse and would form an excellent basis for a further probe. Likewise, "Willow's Electric Arcs," which examines the power of interpersonal connections to affect our actions, seems like a specific case-study in what could well become a larger examination of human psychology and moral choice. Several essays, in fact, tackle the peculiarly deep moral questions offered by Buffy and the Scoobies as they discover that simple good/bad distinctions do not function in the real world or, in fact, in Sunnydale. "I'm Cookie Dough" offers a post-feminist reading of Buffy, thoughtfully and intelligently engaging questions of Buffy's status as a feminist icon, coming to a reasonable conclusion by avoiding the shrillest voices on either side of the debate.
Overall, the essays in The Truth of Buffy may falter at points, with none seeming to be a piece of standout scholarship, but taken together they provide a strong starting point from which fans of the show can begin a more academic exploration of the many merits of the show, as a work of art, an intellectual playpen, or as a product of the context in which it was created and viewed. Essays such as "Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs" even have resonance beyond the series, placing it in an artistic context as a teleplay and providing long-time viewers with an explanation of why the series hangs so many lampshades and how this practice affects the show and its viewers. Most delightful to Buffy fans, however, will be a study of the myriad allusions that make the show a witty viewer's delight. "Texting Buffy: Allusions of Many Kinds" only begins to scratch the surface regarding the show's beloved tactic of dropping as many references as possible. Dealing only with outside references (ignoring inter-episode allusions and inside jokes), the authors statistically study the pop-culture name-dropping that makes Buffy so intelligent, probing the reasons why Xander, for example, makes the most and why Andrew, present for only two seasons, makes 3% of the show's references. The essay is, like the others, loving and appreciative of the depth and artistry of Buffy. The Truth of Buffy may not meet the highest of academic standards and may not contain the most well-written material, but it should please Buffy fans as a jumping-off point to explore the richness provided by, yes, a show about a teenage girl killing vampires.
Grade: B+
The most successful and, therefore, interesting essays are, however, the pieces that examine the content of Buffy over several of its seasons and examine the way in which the series illuminates life. "Lord Acton Is Alive and Well in Sunnydale" provides an interesting, if somewhat stunted, look at power politics in the Buffyverse and would form an excellent basis for a further probe. Likewise, "Willow's Electric Arcs," which examines the power of interpersonal connections to affect our actions, seems like a specific case-study in what could well become a larger examination of human psychology and moral choice. Several essays, in fact, tackle the peculiarly deep moral questions offered by Buffy and the Scoobies as they discover that simple good/bad distinctions do not function in the real world or, in fact, in Sunnydale. "I'm Cookie Dough" offers a post-feminist reading of Buffy, thoughtfully and intelligently engaging questions of Buffy's status as a feminist icon, coming to a reasonable conclusion by avoiding the shrillest voices on either side of the debate.
Overall, the essays in The Truth of Buffy may falter at points, with none seeming to be a piece of standout scholarship, but taken together they provide a strong starting point from which fans of the show can begin a more academic exploration of the many merits of the show, as a work of art, an intellectual playpen, or as a product of the context in which it was created and viewed. Essays such as "Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs" even have resonance beyond the series, placing it in an artistic context as a teleplay and providing long-time viewers with an explanation of why the series hangs so many lampshades and how this practice affects the show and its viewers. Most delightful to Buffy fans, however, will be a study of the myriad allusions that make the show a witty viewer's delight. "Texting Buffy: Allusions of Many Kinds" only begins to scratch the surface regarding the show's beloved tactic of dropping as many references as possible. Dealing only with outside references (ignoring inter-episode allusions and inside jokes), the authors statistically study the pop-culture name-dropping that makes Buffy so intelligent, probing the reasons why Xander, for example, makes the most and why Andrew, present for only two seasons, makes 3% of the show's references. The essay is, like the others, loving and appreciative of the depth and artistry of Buffy. The Truth of Buffy may not meet the highest of academic standards and may not contain the most well-written material, but it should please Buffy fans as a jumping-off point to explore the richness provided by, yes, a show about a teenage girl killing vampires.
Grade: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment