Buffy Academia And Unofficial Guide Books

I didn't really know where else to post this. But anyway, I'm really interested in starting to buy some of the academia on Buffy. Some of these books look really interesting IE:

Seven Seasons Of Buffy: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Discuss Their Favorite Television Show

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy Series) : Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale by James B. South

Blood Relations : Chosen Families in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel by Jes Battis

The Aesthetics of Culture in Buffy the Vampire Slayer :: Matthew Pateman


As well as unofficial guides im looking at (another few titles):

Reading the Vampire Slayer : The Complete, Unofficial Guide to 'Buffy' and 'Angel' by Roz Kaveney

Dusted : The Unauthorized Guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer

There's plenty others i am interested in but didn't want to kill the post with a list of titles (unless of course, you'd like me to add more!)

Anyway, was interested in anyone who has read any, what they think was the best, etc.

I've read Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy, but it was so long ago that I couldn't really give you a reasoned, thought-out review of it. I seem to remember it being very dense (being philosophy), but interesting.

More recently, I read The Physics of the Buffyverse, which, if you're trying to learn physics, is an awesome introduction. I understand physics much better now (though String Theory is still fuzzy).

i just bought buffy the vampire slayer and philosophy and have gotten through the first 2 essays, both on Faith. It is very interesting stuff, but definitely college reading level material.

I've heard of the physics book but...whoa physics so not my thing! Im a writer, not a scientist lol.

In my opinion, writers need to know about everything we can get our hands on. Otherwise, our writing is two-dimensional, stagnant, and possibly unbelievable because we can't talk about things like physics (or, for SF/F writers like me, our worlds fall apart because we don't know the rules of physics).

Of course, for the most part, I enjoy science. I hate math, but I love psychology and what I understand of physics, I enjoy (as long as I don't have to actually work the theorems).

The Aesthetics of Culture in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that does sound interesting, hmm...

Does anyone check out slayageonline.com much? I haven't in forever. Lots of ponderousness, but some of it's good.

I've read a few when I was starting my Masters. My thesis was ''Who died and made her boss?' The Death of Patriarchy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. It was suggesting that since Buffy emerged it has influenced popular culture in empowering women. Bloody hard thing to prove in academia 😛

while i was studying for my Masters i wrote a paper about how popular culture influenced the development of identity in teenagers, particularly young women. i used four texts - the sisterhood of the travelling pants (film version), looking for alibrandi (an Australian novel for young adults) the music (and reality show) of the pussycat dolls and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and examined how they constructed teenage girl in relation to positive and negative behaiours and empowerment, sexuality and the like. i put the alternate cover from season 8 #5 on my title page because it is such a powerful image - "I want you to be strong". i got a 7 for it which is always nice

but to the topic at hand...

here is my opinion on a few of the academically inclined buffy books:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: a critical reading of the series by Anne Billson (2005) British Film Institute: London
This is a really good read that is basically a personal response to Buffy in which the author talks about why she loves the show, and a few things that she doesn't like (mostly Reilly, Tara and Dawn). There is a really great chapter about the progression of female heroes that points out that Buffy's arrival was pretty much overdue and it was about time that a female hero was allowed to be a girl and kick ass.

European Journal of Cultural Studies (2005) Vol.8 (3)
This is an issue devoted entirely to the character of Spike. There are some really excellent articles covering topics such as how the canon of vampire literature has influenced the character of Spike, character readings and analysis and James Marsters interpretation of the character. This is full of a lot of insightful, mostly (but not entirely) sympathetic readings of Spike that provides plenty of food for thought about one of the most intriguing characters in the Buffyverse.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale edited by James B. South (2003), Carus Publishing Company: Illinois
As the name suggests, this text takes a philosophical approach to Buffy and provides interesting and challenging analysis based on a number of philosophical frames.

Lydia Chalmer's Thesis on William the Bloody
In the episode "˜Checkpoint' a member of the Watchers Council tells Spike that she wrote her thesis on him. Various writes (many associated with Tea at the Ford website) collaborated to produce this piece of pseudo-academic fun that explores the history of William the Bloody. link here

Sex and the Slayer: a gender studies primer for the Buffy fan by Lorna Jowett (2005) Wesleyan University Press
This text examines Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the perspective of gender. It provides an excellent introduction to the practice of using gender as a framework for reading and analysing texts and offers insights into feminist and masculine critical theory through alternative character readings. Here is a link to an in-depth customer review of this book from Amazon. Simply scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the review by Robert Moore:
Amazon.com: Sex and the Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer for the Buffy Fan: Books: Lorna Jowett

Televised Morality: The case of Buffy the vampire slayer by Gregory Stevenson (2004) Hamilton Books.
This is a book that I really enjoyed and found to be an excellent companion to the series. Buffy has often been criticised by family and conservative Christian groups for content featured on the show (such as homosexuality and sexual relationships) but this book, written by a theologian and self-confessed fan of the series reveals that, in fact, Buffy is a highly moralistic show that explores many of the moral quandaries experienced by people in everyday life. It's also heartening to find that there are Christians, other than myself, who appreciate the program, learn from it and are not so narrow-minded and fearful of alternative perspectives that challenge their own. While I don't agree with all Stevenson's readings of the text, it is certainly insightful, informative and well worth reading.

Slayage: the online journal of buffy studies and Watcher Junior
Slayage is an excellent online journal that specialises in all things Buffy, Angel and Firefly. Still in publication, it offers a range of readings and perspectives on the program that are always interesting and very often challenging. There is a link to Slayage in my links section. Watcher junior is a journal aimed at undergraduates. I'm not sure if its still in publication as there are only two issues, here is the link: Slayage Watcher Junior: The Undergraduate Journal of Buffy Studies

Seven Seasons of Buffy: science fiction and fantasy writers discuss their favourite television show edited by Glenn Yeffeth (2003) BenBella Books: Dallas
This book is a mixed bag. There are many and varied personal responses to the series that provide plenty of scope for argument, because most of the readings are intensely personal. Some of the chapters, each written by a different sci-fi/fantasy author, are quite humorous while others, I was left wondering if the author had been watching the same television show as me. Still worth a look though.

Reading the Vampire Slayer: the new, updated unofficial guide to Buffy and Angel edited by Roz Kaveney
A collection of essays discussing a range of subjects relating to Buffy and Angel. It's been a while since I read this one but I think, if I remember correctly, the chapter by Justine Larbalestier about heterosexuality and sex in BTVS was particularly good. I think a lot of the essays featured in this book have been published in Slayage as well.

Tea at the Ford
This is probably my favourite Buffy/Angel resource. It is a collection writings and analysis of episodes, characters, themes and issues that are confronted in the Buffyverse. Although the articles and writings are fan generated they are incredibly insightful, well informed and well written. Articles on the site can change your mind about events and characters, clarify thoughts and enhance appreciation and understanding of the series in its entirety. The site is (I think) an archive of the members publications and also of their responses to those publications. The contributors have in-depth knowledge of mythical, mystic, literary, and cultural realms and utilise these in discussion of Buffy and Angel.

hope that helps

thank you so much tranquility for taking the time to write all that! im more than halfway through buffy and philosophy and man is it interesting (though i found one essay a bit boring, i forget which one though). I didn't even know about some of these other sources, so thank you so much.

Part of my Master's thesis (about 1/3) is going to be on using Buffy to teach Literary Theory. I really can't wait to dive into that, though I'm not sure yet which types of theory I'm going to use as examples. Archetypal, obviously. Maybe Freudian (or some other type of Psychological theory, as I hate Freud with a bloody passion). Feminist might be too obvious, but it's an option. We'll see.

Buffy & Philosophy touches on Freud but contains a lot more on Plato. And yes, tons on feminism.

I read

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy
Seven Seasons of Buffy (also Five Season of Angel)
Reading Buffy (also Reading Angel)
Fighting the Forces [it is articles from Slayage; an online Buffy acadamic magazine]
Sex and the Slayer
Slayer Slang
What Buffy Would Do

I know this thread's been idle for awhile, but since I'm researching my thesis (and as I mentioned, 2/3 of it will be Buffy-related), here's the books I'm working with so far:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy - Ed. James B. South
Fighting the Forces: What's at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer? - Ed. Rhonda V. Wilcox & David Lavery
Blood Relations: Chosen Families in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel - Jes Battis
The Aesthetics of Culture in Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Matthew Pateman
Televised Morality: The Case of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Gregory Stevenson
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Anne Billson

That's not counting the 20 or so journal articles I've got in PDF on my hard drive right now.

I haven't gotten anything else since buffy and philosophy, don't really have the money to spend. When you have the time to take, let me know which you would recommend.

Absolutely will do. I can tell you that the one by Anne Billson is a complete waste of time for anyone who's actually watched the series; it's pretty much lots of summary with some of her insights and opinions thrown in. I'm working on Televised Morality right now.

I recently picked up the Pschology of Joss Whedon at the book store the other day and I have read the first couple of essays. They are really very intriguing and I found them very interesting. I highly recommend it. Again it is college level reading so it is not just an easy read but I thought it was really interesting. (there are essays about Firefly, Angel, and Buffy in it btw) I am currently reading an essay on the fact that Buffy's relationship with spike is a form of narcissism. It is really very interesting.

How can you guys forget Nikki Stafford's books?

Bite Me: An Unofficial Guide to the World of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

and

Once Bitten: An Unofficial Guide to the World of Angel

Well, I personally haven't forgotten them, it's just that I don't think guidebooks are going to help much in an exploration of the way that fantasy in general (and Buffy in particular) helps people to deal with issues that may be too painful to deal with in reality. And an exploration of teaching Literary Criticism classes using Buffy as an anchor.

And thanks, DDD. I'll have to find that book and check it out.

Okay, I finished Televised Morality. It was pretty interesting and raised some great points about the nature of morality, but in terms of my thesis, the only helpful part was a comparison of the morals of Buffy and Faith (I'm theorizing that Faith is Buffy's shadow self--part of Jungian philosophy and literary theory).

Now I'm working on Fighting the Forces and have already decided that I need to BUY this book, not just check it out from the library. There are about 20 essays on different subjects in the book, and I'm going to need to be able to look back at them often. They're very well written; even the essays that don't directly relate to my thesis have kept me reading.

I feel like I'm flooding this thread.

I now have in my hot little hands a copy of The Psychology of Joss Whedon, at least until Feb. 21, which is when the library wants it back. Speaking for all of us who are me in the room right now, we're very excited.

Thanks for the tip on this one, DD.

hahaha yeah i want to read this one badly! i just got my hands on Fighting the Forces but haven't read it yet, courtesy of Paperbackswap.com (really a lovely site for those of you readers out there). Also have the revised "The Girl's Got Bite" unofficial guide which seems to end at the episode "Never Leave Me". makes no sense to me lol but ok.