Why Buffy Matters
The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
By Rhonda V. Wilcox
(I. B. Tauris, Paperback, 9781845110291, 256pp.)
Publication Date: October 13, 2005
Categories: Television - History & Criticism
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Rhonda Wilcox is the world's foremost authority on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, and its themes. Wilcox argues that Buffy is enduring as art by exploring its excellence in both long-term story arc construction and in producing individual episodes that are powerful on their own. She examines the larger patterns that extend through all seven seasons: the hero myth, imagery of light, naming symbolism, Buffy's relationship with Spike, sex, and redemption. Wilcox also focuses on acclaimed and noteworthy episodes, including the musical "Once More, with Feeling," the largely silent and wordless "Hush," and the dream episode "Restless." She examines Buffy's literary narrative, symbolism, visual imagery, and sound. Combining great intelligence and wit, written for fans, this is the worthy companion to the show that has claimed and kept the minds and hearts of watchers worldwide.
Rhonda Wilcox is co-editor of Fighting the Forces: What's at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Slayage: The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies. She is an English Professor at Gordon College in Barnesville, GA.
‘If there’s anyone who doubts Buffy matters, Wilcox’s accessible, well written, and carefully argued book is for them. For the rest of us who know Buffy matters, Wilcox provides a generous and richly textured reading of the series sure to provoke discussion and expand our appreciation of its achievement. Why Buffy Matters is a first-rate work of criticism’ – James B. South, editor of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale
‘Why Buffy Matters assembles in one volume the astonishingly perceptive critical commentary of the Mother of Buffy Studies. Like the amazing series it delineates, it brings the funny and brings the tears – or am I the only one deeply moved by interpretive brilliance? This book confirms Rhonda Wilcox as the chosen one among television scholars, the one with the intellectual strength and hermeneutic skill to do battle with one of the most complex popular culture texts of our time.’ – David Lavery, Co-editor of Slayage: The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies
‘Why Buffy Matters negotiates big ideas about literature, television, culture,
values, and language with verve and commitment - it’s the best Buffy book so far. When it comes to Buffy studies, Wilcox is the Slayer.’ – Michael Adams
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