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What Would Buffy Do: The Vampire Slayer as Spiritual Guide

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"The Gospel According to Peanuts" by Robert L. Short is the book that I remember beginning the long string of books look at popular culture artifacts for their spiritual value. You can find similar volumes on everything from Harry Potter and the Simpson to Tony Soprano and ESPN, so it is not surprising that a volume has come out looking at "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Jana Reiss has a masters of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary to go with a Ph.D. in religion from Columbia University and is the religion book review editor at "Publisher's Weekly." She is also a fan of Buffy, although she also likes Giles and Spike, so it is not surprising that she would decide to pursue the spiritual, religious, and mythological ideas of the television series.

For me the pivotal episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in terms of the religious implications was "Amends," the third season episode written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon in which Angel is tormented by apparitions of three of his victims, including Jenny Calendar, which are really manifestations of the First. Just before dawn Buffy finds Angel on a bluff overlooking Sunnydale, waiting for sunrise so that he can die and have peace. Buffy pleads and then lashes out in anger at Angel, but before the sun can rise it starts to snow. The sun will not shine in Sunnydale that day because of the freak snowstorm. Before this episode was over I was pointing out that Whedon had just worked God into the Buffyverse. After all, who else could make it snow besides God?

Well, now we know the answer would be the Powers That Be, which are certainly god-like beings, but not the Judeo-Christian creator. Yet given that Buffy usually wears a cross that burns vampires when it comes into contact with them (e.g., "Angel") and that holy water burns vampires too (e.g., "Helpless"), it seems strange to ignore the implications of Christianity for "BtVS." After all, Willow Rosenberg often talks about the fact that she is Jewish, which at least gets you in the theological ballpark.

But where Riess wants to make the connection between Buffy and Christianity are the show's elements of apocalypse and sacrifice as well as those of redemption and resurrection. After all, Buffy, the "Savior in a Micro-Mini," has been resurrected twice, in "Prophecy Girl" and "Bargaining, Part I," and that is a hard parallel to ignore. Besides, Riess is also interested in exploring the need for humor in fighting spiritual battles, so this is not a book that is focused on scriptural analysis. Yes, there are Bible verses in this book, but Giles the Watcher is quoted a lot more than the apostle Paul, and you will also get great thoughts from the Buddha, Sophocles, William Shakespeare, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson as well.

"What Would Buffy Do?" has three main sections. The first deals with issues of Personal Spirituality and the reader's own spiritual journey: (1) Be a Hero Even When You'd Rather Go to the Mall: The Power of Self-Sacrifice; (2) Changes Make Us Human: Embracing the River of Change; (3) Death is Our Gift: What Death Can Teach Us About Living; (4) "The Anger Gives You Fire": Can Negative Emotions Be Constructive?; and (5) The "Monster Sarcasm Rally": Humor as Power. The lessons here have to do with embracing change as a spiritual teacher and balancing emotions.

The second section, Companions on the Journey, expands to look at relationships with families, friends, and mentors: (6) "What Can't We Face If We're Together?": The Power of Friendship; (7) Obey Your Teacher, Except When He's Wrong: Spiritual Mentors on the Path to Maturity"; and (8) The Higher Way: Choosing Forgiveness over Revenge." The final section, Saving the World, looks at the biggest issue of a social engaged spirituality: (9) What Goes Around Comes Around: Consequences; (10) The Monster Inside: Taming the Darkness Within Ourselves; and (11) "Redemption Is Hard": Personal Deliverance in the Buffyverse," which focuses on the fates of Angel, Faith, and Spike.

What I like about this book is that it is grounded in analysis of the episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Angel" to a lesser extent. When Whedon created Buffy the idea was to flip the stereotype of the blonde girl falling victim to the monster when she walks down the ally, but the subtext of the television version of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was the simple reality that "high school is hell." That idea was expanded to include college in particular and life in general, but that fundamental idea becomes the best foundation Riess has for making the case for Buffy's spirituality. In the end her point is that the message of "BtVS" is that although it is great for us to have our own quests and spiritual journeys such things are meaningless unless they are in the service of others.

I am not troubled by how Riess tries to speak to the Buffy faithful as well as the neophytes who come late to the party. The back of this volume includes A Guide to Buffy's Seven Seasons, which looks at each season thematically as well as chronologically, and a Buffy Character Guide arranged season by season, which explains the characters rather than just describing them. There is also an interview with Eliza Dushku (Riess interviewed the actresses' mother, Judy Dushku, for her undergraduate thesis many years ago).

There have been several academic looks at "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in the last couple of years, from a look at "Slayer Slang" to approaching the series from a philosophical perspective. "What Would Buffy Do?" has the virtue of being one of the more accessible books attempting to find great meaning in the series. The appeal here will be for fans who always knew that Buffy mattered to their lives and can now understanding how its ethics and morality come into play even if you are not out there saving the world (a lot).

It can be a little embarrassing to admit just how many books and articles you have read about the television show, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." If you try to put your enthusiasm into words, people look at you funny. Unless they are one of the lucky ones who have actually seen the show, and then their eyes light up with glee, just like yours. I have read quite a bit about Buffy (but not as much as Jana Riess.) I've certainly read the big three collections of academic essays about the show. "What Would Buffy Do?" is easily the best volume I've come across. It's an instant classic, a small gem of popular culture criticism.

Riess's approach is eclectic, like that of Joseph Campbell. She draws her analysis from all sorts of places: scripture, novels, drama, philosophy, are various religious traditions. Although she depends mostly on Christianity and Buddhism. Anyone who is skeptical that a "mere" TV show can sustain this kind of scrutiny will soon be convinced otherwise by Riess's intelligent, crystal-clear prose and thinking. (This book is a lot of fun to read, unlike some of the other post-modernist essays in the previously mentioned academic collections. They made my little head hurt.) There's an original interview with actress Eliza Dushku, who plays the dirty-girl slayer, Faith. She talks candidly about her experiences working on the show, and her Mormon background.

As one critic put it, "Buffy" is the most religious show on TV, a "secular universe saturated with grace." This book moves from a description of the slayer's personal spirituality, to a consideration of the spirituality of the "Scooby Gang", to an examination of what could be called the show's prophetic themes: saving the world and deliverance from evil. This is a book about pop culture, but it's not "pop" religion. Riess writes seriously and responsibly about eternal subjects. There are chapter length examinations of Buffy as a self-sacrificing savior; death as a gift (a catchphrase all too familiar to Buffyphiles); the power of friendship; and the necessity of going through negative emotions.

It is in the last three chapters that Riess treats Buffy's "prophetic calling." She writes:

"Buffy is a Christ figure, but only insofar as she is constantly averting the apocalypse through self-sacrifice. On Buffy, people atone for their own sins. Redemption is hard work and it us up to us. Redemption is a process requiring action; words are no enough. There's no salvation by grace in the Buffyverse. Angel and other characters find salvation only in work, self-sacrifice, and courageous choices." (pages 119-121, ellipses removed.)
Although a little later Riess does point out that an "unthinkable act of grace" does occur on Christmas Day, in the episode "Amends."

Riess is also very good on "the Monster inside"; that is, the dark part of ourselves we need to acknowledge, and own. (Yes, Jung gets mentioned here a lot.) The very dark and controversial Season Six (which Riess loved, and so do I) was about the Scoobies facing up to their own evil.

"Buffy is all about confronting our dark sides and learning to live comfortably--or at least co-exist nonviolently--with our monster selves. Many people would rather deny their dark shadow, pretend it isn't there. But ignoring it entirely, according to the show, is a dangerous as allowing it to rule our lives. As Willow learns she doesn't have to be a bigger, badder badass than the source of all badness. She needs to control the darkness so it does not control her. In the end she discovers that it's enough just to be Willow, with all of her complexiities, all of her darkness, and her much stonger goodness." (pages 117-118)

This is as workable and humane a defintion of "repentance" as I've ever encountered.

Well, I could go on and on about this wonderful book about a wonderful show, but I won't. All I can say is that Riess in this book sorts through all sorts of spiritual odds and ends and finds what is good and beautiful.

I picked this up in good humor, being a Buffy fan. But once I started reading it, I discovered all the philosophies and psychologies it draws on, and how these characters, plotlines, stories, and conflicts really do reflect our own lives. I was literally crying at some chapters that hit home -- about self-sacrifice, about love and friendship, about humor being a valuable weapon. I loved the show from thw beginning. This book makes me appreciate its power all the more.

The book details trials, tribulations, and metaphors that the characters of the show go through every day. The ability to distinguish true good from evil, to stand by your friends, to know when to back down and when to keep going ... these are all incredibly powerful and important life lessons. It doesn't matter that the subjects of the book are a bunch of characters from a fictional television show. This is what philosophy is about. And I couldn't be happier to see that the wonderful creations of Joss Whedon are being used as examples. I'm a writer myself, so I can understand how fictional characters can teach such powerful lessons about who we are. After all, we created them.

Riess has written a book that has not only the humor of the television series she studies, but its concern for moral complexity and refusal to be doctrinaire as well. Riess's goal is not to demonstrate how Buffy adheres to any single spiritual tradition, but to examine how the show explores universal spiritual and moral truths and concerns. Riess manages to respect both the show and the wisdom of the traditions she draws on (including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and classical Greek philosophy), in chapters such as "Be a Hero, Even When You'd Rather Go to the Mall: The Power of Self-Sacrifice," "Obey Your Teacher, Except When He's Wrong: Spritual Mentors on the Path to Maturity," and "The Higher Way: Choosing Forgiveness over Revenge."

The book also contains a thoughtful guide to the characters, organized by the season in which they are introduced. I found this valuable both for the insightful analysis of the characters and for Riess's genuine and obvious affection for them. Rather than saying that Oz is "Willow's deadpan boyfriend" (a description I once read, and certainly accurate enough), Riess draws attention to his nobler qualities by calling him "taciturn, wise, and kind." Anya is, according to Riess, "full of contradictions: she is a jaded veteran of the demon world who exhibits childlike innocence and curiosity regarding her newly acquired humanity"--an analysis that gave me a new way to look at a character who annoyed me endlessly. Although throughtout the book's main chapters, Riess assumes (justifiably, I think) that her audience is familiar with the show, the character guide at the end could help new fans understand and keep track of the show's many characters.

My only complaint about the book is that it lacks an index. Perhaps the majority of readers would not mind this omission, but Riess's excellent examination will no doubt be of use to the many scholars and academics who research and write about Buffy--and it would be even more useful with at least a basic index to the topics she discusses.

***** Although Buffy Summers has taken an almost equal amount of flack as Harry Potter from the most conservative Christians, others have picked up on the ironically religious truths to be found in both her series and the spin off, Angel. Among those enlightened beings is Jana Riess, and she has shared her findings in this snappy, easy to read book. Divided into logical sections that expand outward from the individual, to community, to world, the author uses Buffy to make spiritual truths clear. Many of the lessons could be applied to other fictional settings, such as Tolkien, yet, Buffy has an edge that might not be found in other works. This book will appeal to all ages, and perhaps serve as a bridge. The slant is mostly Christian, but the Christianity is not presented in a way that looks down on other faiths. For those Bible students who look for "aha" moments in their studies, "What would Buffy Do?" has many. If a Youth leader is looking for a new tool to interest a bored Sunday School class, they would not be making a mistake in picking up a baker's dozen of this book. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

If you like Buffy than you will love this book. I love how the writer talks about how Buffy handles things like anger, friendship, death, and such. She gives examples of these topics and how we can use the actions of Buffy to our own lives. Some people complain that there is no "God" in the show but as you read on you will be surprized how ethical and spiritual the show really was/is.
The only bad part of this book is you need to have seen the shows to be able to follow it. Non-Buffy watchers would be really confused and maybe frustated because they would not understand what is being said. I could go on and on about how great this book is but the only way you can tell if you will like it as well is to order it.

The theme of spirituality in Buffy is taken up well by the author. She explores Buffy and contempory life and attempts to address the way in which Buffy informs or can inform us in everday life (friends, decisions, spirituality etc..). A theme of selflessness and self-accountablity in a (post)modern world make for interesting reading even if does get a bit moralizing at times.

Fans of Buffy will enjoy the season briefings which highlight spiritually problematic issues which our heroine and the scooby gang face as well as some useful references to authors and writings for further reading.

Those new to Buffy .. there is a good overview of characters and episode synopsis to bring you up to date until season 7.

If you are looking for a general fan book and can only afford 1 - I wouldn't buy this one, stick to the watchers guides - but if you are building a library - but this is a good addition as it has some different and interesting things to say.

A great analysis of the Buffyverse for fans and non-fans alike. Riess has done an excellent job at deconstructing and spiritual and religious themes of Buffy. The interview with Eliza Dushku is particularly enlightening and fans of Faith will especially appreciate this book.

As a grade A fan, I can't help but enjoy some of the blow-by-blows of the Buffyverse history (the author takes time to venture into Angel's world in addition to the more thorough Buffy discussion), but even for me the replays are becoming ponderous by page 80 or so. (And particularly unnecessary, I might add, considering I can't imagine non-fans would buy the book, and the index includes a rundown of every season and characters.) I know what Angel's curse is and the meaning of vengeance, and some of the very basic and almost childishly imparted philosophy included can't help but come off as annoying in it simplicity. Vengeance and anger-leads-to-hate cliches are all over the book, and the constant back-and-forth of the discussions (first season, then fifth, then a parallel to second) page after page becomes downright dizzying in parts. The book suffers heavily from a lack of focus in its narrative -its chapter titles are about the only clear and concise thing about it, and, again, I felt the author was able to hide under summaries of Buffy episodes and pale, thinly drawn parallels instead of creating any real analysis. I found myself scrolling past whole pages describing episodes in graphic detail, complete with quotes, before finding any commentary at all.

To be honest, the whole book is rife with platitudes and well-known information delivered as something startling and new: when I read "As Jesus told the crowd that had gathered around the adulterous woman in the New Testament, only the person who is without sin has the right to cast the first stone," my eyes glazed over. Later recapitulations include the threefold law of Wicca and Christian salvation. If I were 14, I might be enthralled. (Then again, maybe I'm just not a self-help spiritual book kind of gal.)

In the end, the real problem with the book, I think, is less to do with the author and more to do with perception: so many people continue to look on Buffy, Joss Whedon, and a great deal of pop science fiction in general as something inferior to, say, Friends (which even Jana Riess takes time to take a pot shot at - p.96), and books are published that match those expectations. Like the Buffy novels, this is aimed at "the average teenage" - whoever that is.

Still, there are a few parts I savored: the discussion of humor as a means of empowerment against evil, the interview with Eliza Dushku (Faith), and the author's occasional forays into nonspiritual discussions of the characters. But overall, even as hard-core a fan as myself wonders why I bought it, beyond the funny value, and I certainly wouldn't recommend it.

I found in reading this, i not only learned more in depthly about my favorite tv show, but i also learned about myself. Using the techniques used by the author to examine Buffy spiritually, i examined myself. This book was not only enjoyable, but also a learning experiance. By looking deeply into the roots of Buffy and using different religous principles, not only does Buffy make reference to these religions (Christianity, Buddhism, Wiccan among others) but,in part is these religions. Aspects of them all make thier way into the the show's inner most working, and Jana Riess guides you along as you explore how and why. It is my favorite Buffy book by far. It is worth way more than the price. Even non-viewers will profit. You will not be sorry!