Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale (Popular Culture and Philosophy, Vol. 4) (Paperback)

There have been two major academic anthologies before this one: Roz Kaveny's READING THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and Rhonda V. Wilcox and David Lavery's FIGHTING THE FORCES. Both of these far surpass this newer volume, despite having the disadvantage of having been written at the end of Season Five of Buffy, while some of the essays in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER AND PHILOSOPHY seem to have some knowledge of the first episode of Season Seven, and most reflect the revelation at the end of Season Six that Spike has gained a soul.

One of the reasons these other two anthologies are so much more successful is the fact that most of the writers in those two volumes were cultural critics rather than philosophers. As enormously witty, intelligent, and deep as the scripts for Buffy were, they were not deeply conversant with Western philosophy. In fact, philosophically, the Buffyverse essentially embraces a naive Cartesian dualism (a fact curiously unnoted by all the contributors to this volume), or at most a Christian tripartite conception of the person as Mind, Body, and Soul. Descartes attempted to resurrect Augustinian theology (based on Platonism) in opposition to the thought of Aquinas (based on Aristotelianism), and in doing so posited a radical gap between Mind and Body. 20th century English philosopher Gilbert Ryle would call this the myth of "the ghost in the machine" (a phrase later reappropriated by Arthur Koestler and the Police). Angel has a body, and a soul that keeps getting detached. Philosophically, this is both dubious and almost completely unthought out. In other words, the TV shows BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and ANGEL are enormously unconversant with philosophy, despite interacting vigorously with modern life and culture.

Another major problem here is that the writers fairly consistently seem to be attempting to graft two separate concerns upon one another. Someone profoundly interested in Kant tries to meld this with Buffy. Someone working on Aristotle brings his thought on friendship in line with relationships in Buffy (far more successfully than attempts with Kant). Some of the attempts are painfully strained. Some are just sad. Only a few are truly enlightening either of philosophy or Buffy. One of the more fascinating aspects of the anthology is the enormously varying ways that Buffy is conceived. One sees the show as liberal, another socialist, another fascist. In fact, the one great value of the book is that it shows that what Buffy is at heart is a vast mirror: look into Buffy and you will find your own beliefs and attitudes somehow reflected.

My recommendation for any Buffy fan is to read either of the other two anthologies first, then perhaps look at the array of essays available on the www.slayage.tv website, and then, if not yet sated, turn to this collection.

So you are the average Buffy fan, you do not sit around with your friends weighing the Nietzchian ideal of the ubermensch, nor do you discuss Faith's fatalistic nature. Will you enjoy this book? Possibly. Are you interested in philosophy? By chance did you take some in college, even an introductory course, but it didn't make any sense? This book may bring something to the table for you and clear up your confusion regarding some theoretical stuff. The gift with purchase will be that you will learn something new along the way.

Now if you are looking at this book to be a playful romp through Sunnydale, don't buy it. It's not. It will deconstruct some characters in ways you will not like, at the same time some observations will make you roll on the floor with hysterical laughter (or that could just be me). It will definately spark some thought, and if you buy one for a friend will result in many hours of arguing fun!

As one of the Buffy faithful, and a staunch reader of Slayage, the online journal of Buffy Studies, I loved this book. I loved it so much I want to buy one for all the Buffy fans I know. I want to trot over to Marquette and kiss James South if not for this book, for his AMAZING article on Willow, and his great understanding of the season 6 transformation she made. This book makes Fighting the Forces, and Reading the Slayer look like high school term papers. This book is smart, the editing is well done, and it made me feel smarter for reading it. This is by far the best of the best of Academic Buffyverse analysis. I hope that this sets the future standard for books of this type.

The chapters that are not to be missed:
Also Sprach Faith: The problem of the happy rogue vampire slayer - Karl Schudt
My God, It's like a Greek tragedy: Willow Rosenberg & human irrationality - James South
Buffy in the Buff: A slayers solution to Aristotles love paradox - Kaye & Milavec
No Big Win: Themes of sacrifice, salvation and redemption - Gregory Sakal
Old familiar Vampires: The politics of the Buffyverse - Jeffrey Pasley

I think that "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" are, quite simply, the two best television shows today. Period. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a wide range of television shows (I am an admitted television junkie), but in terms of emotional depth, intelligent writing, challenging storylines, and innovative and realistic characters, Joss Whedon's children are unparalleled.

Turns out I'm not the only one who thinks that the metaphors and metaphysics of the Buffyverse (to blatantly steal from Shaun Narine) are worth analyzing. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale, professors and students of philosophy tackle the key events, issues, and characters in the Buffyverse in a number of highly entertaining, engaging, and thought-provoking essays.

The Buffyverse has more than a few key events, issues, and characters that deserve serious debate: Buffy's role as a Slayer and her relationship to society; Faith's dalliance with good and evil; Angel's path to redemption; Buffy's self-destructive relationship with Spike; Willow's transformation from mousy teenager to Big Bad; and the metaphor which is the basis for all of it. Each of these topics are addressed by multiple authors, from different philosophical perspectives, in Fear and Trembling.

Given the timing of my review (i.e. at the end of Faith's Season Four arc on "Angel"), my mind was already on Faith, so the chapters which dealt with her were particularly fascinating to me. Is Faith's amoral pursuit of pleasure best explained by Plato or Nietzche? This book doesn't provide answers ? it provides a framework for the reader/viewer to analyze and grapple with the issues themselves. And isn't that why "Buffy" is so attractive to us in the first place?

I wish that Fear and Trembling had been in print while I was in college. It might have helped defeat my dismissive prejudice against philosophy as irrelevant and out of touch. That's the beauty part of Fear and Trembling ? it will serve both to give "Buffy" credibility in the minds of those few academics/intellectuals who are not already ardent fans and will give ?Buffy? fans a gateway into the realm of philosophy.

I found a few chapters of Fear and Trembling particularly thought-provoking. For example, several authors seized on the exchange between Joyce and Faith (in Buffy?s body) from ?Who Are You.?

Joyce: Why do you think [Faith?s] like that?
Faith: You know. She's a nut job.
Joyce: I just don't understand what could drive a person to that kind of behavior.
Faith: Well, how do you know she got drove? I mean, maybe she likes being that way.
Joyce: I'll never believe that. I think she's horribly unhappy.

A lot has been written in the Internet community regarding Faith?s unhappiness as an explanation for her behavior. Rewatching ?Faith, Hope, and Trick? the other day, I was struck by how rude and uninviting Buffy was to Faith when she first arrived in Sunnydale. Sure, Faith stormed in with a series of wild stories of nude alligator wrestling and flirted with Buffy?s closeted not-boyfriend, but Buffy was defensive from moment one. Buffy?s superiority/inferiority complex as Slayer was threatened by Faith and she never really gave her a chance. In the next few episodes, Buffy got friendlier and, by the end of Season Four, appears to have convinced herself that she had reached out to Faith. In ?Sanctuary,? Buffy tells Faith: ?I gave you every chance! I tried so hard to help you, and you spat on me. My life was just something for you to play with. Angel - Riley - anything that you could take from me - you took. I've lost battles before - but nobody else has ever made me a victim.? I think that?s a little melodramatic and overstates Buffy?s real attempt to be friends with Faith.

In my view, Buffy is the one who destroyed her relationship with Faith before it even began by lying about Angel?s return. Choosing Angel over Faith when Faith was convinced that he was evil wasn?t exactly a trust-builder. My imaginary backstory on Faith (and maybe this has a basis in the show that I can?t quite recall) is that she had an abusive and troubled childhood and as a result can?t open up and trust people. She came to Sunnydale looking for something. Clearly, Faith?s acceptance of a pseudo-familial relationship with the Mayor suggests that she could have had that kind of relationship with the Scoobies if they?d just given her a real chance. As I?ve said on many occasions, I am sorely disappointed that Eliza chose to do another project next year because I think that Faith adds a unique and rich dimension to the Buffyverse.

The third broad topic addressed in Fear and Trembling that I?d like to draw attention to is the political/legal framework of the Buffyverse. (Check out: ?Brown Skirts: Fascism, Christianity, and the Eternal Demon? by Neal King and ?Justifying the Means: Punishment in the Buffyverse? by Jacob Held.) These articles speak to something I?ve long thought about: how does the concept of the Slayer as the sole arbiter of good and evil mesh with the American conceptions of justice and due process? While some demons, etc., are clearly drawn as evil and beyond redemption (the Master, Glory, Adam, the Mayor), what do we do about the cases at the margins?

See ? I have the text (?Buffy? and ?Angel?), I have questions, and I have some insights. What I lack, for the most part, is the framework to analyze all of the random issues that pop into my head after watching an episode. Fear and Trembling provides an introduction to one possible framework, philosophy, and presents thought-provoking essays in a straight-forward, non-intimidating manner. I hope that someday they will publish a second volume that includes ?Angel? and Season Seven of ?Buffy.?