Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78837 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-13
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Synopsis
Designed by writer Joss Whedon as a multilevel story with most of its meanings deeply buried in heaps of heavy irony, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has replaced the "X-Files" as the show that explains to Americans the nature of the powerful forces of evil continually threatening to surge into a world of everyday decency. This collection features 23 essays by young professional philosophers that examine crucial ethical and metaphysical aspects of the "Buffyverse" (the world of Buffy). In the tradition of the classic horror films, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" addresses ethical issues that have long fascinated audiences. This book finds the ethical and metaphysical lessons from a pop-culture phenomenon. Using the insights of such philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, Nietzche and Kant, the authors provide and entertaining introduction to the field. The book also contains a programme episode guide, a biography of contributors and an index.

Customer Reviews

More than a novelty
As an avid Buffy fan and a first year Philosophy student, I found this book and clicked purchase with the smile of buying a novelty item. But after the first chapter, which crossed over at least two of the courses I had just taken, I realised it had many serious things to say. That is not to say you need any more than basic philosophical knowledge, indeed you need only to be willing to think a little, for this book presents any ideas it makes reference to in an easily accesible way. In fact, many of the ideas are portrayed more clearly and with more intrest, on the part of the author, than a few of my lecturers could! This is the kind of book needed to make the links between academic ideas, that on the surface appear difficult or boring, and the general public and I plan to buy more in the series...the Simpsons next perhaps!

Insightful, but takes itself a little too seriously?
How seriously should we take the sub-plot of the Buffy universe?

This book is a symposium of essays, some written by noted academics, some written by students, about the philosophical issues behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

It's relatively serious and heavy for a Buffy-book, although seriously lightweight for a book on academic philosophy, and some of the essays are better than others.

That said, if you want to think a little more deeply about the postmodern themes underlying Buffy's popularity, then there is a lot of food for thought here, although all of it is (however convincing) speculative, and some of it has already been overturned by reinterpretations that take place in the series of Angel and Buffy that appeared after the book was published.

This is one of the risks, of course, in writing seriously about a series which exploits irony so consistently at so many different levels.

I would have given this book five stars, because it is an enjoyable read, has some important things to say, and opened my eyes to some aspects I hadn't noticed.

I'm giving it four stars, because, reading the book, I come away with the sense that the TV series, with all their deliberate affectations of lightweightedness, are much deeper and more profound than this academically-oriented book which tries to be weightier than it is.