How to Analyze "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" for Personal Growth

Rate: (2 Ratings)

Though “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” may seem to be just a television show, and has even been accused by many of being shallow and silly, in actuality it has amazing depth and has touched many lives since its inception in 1997. Joss Whedon’s creation developed a strong and loyal fan base during its seven year run, and continues to reach out to those fans and new ones since the finale in 2003. The series has also garnered an impressive amount of attention from the academic world, triggering countless articles, more than twenty books, academic conferences held everywhere from Nashville, TN to Istanbul, Turkey, and an online academic journal. You may ask yourself, as many others have, “Why do these people want to study Buffy the Vampire Slayer?” Follow the steps here, and you’ll understand the personal gain that can come from analyzing such a versatile television show.

Flag Article

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Consider one character in the series. What does this character make you think of? Thinking of the character in terms of a real person. How do you feel about him or her? Do you feel admiration? Annoyance? Distrust? Why do you feel these things? Your responses should be recorded in your notepad or a computer file. You’ll come back to them later.

Step2

Review an episode that either reveals something important about that character to the audience or the other characters or focuses on that character a significant amount. (i.e., you could watch “The Zeppo” or “The Replacement” for a Xander-focused show, or “New Moon Rising” or “Grave” for a Willow-focused show). Consider the information presented in that episode. Consider yourself dealing with those situations (or something similar in the real world) and how you think you would react. Do your reactions seem better than the characters, or do you think you could benefit from their examples? Again, record your responses for future consideration.

Step3

Find Buffy articles online or information in academic Buffy books that peak your interest. As you read them, take note of your thoughts, reactions, points you like, ideas you disagree with, etc. You can find a number of articles and a list of books in the resource links of this article.

Step4

Reflect on how "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" speaks to you. Looking over the notes you've taken, you should be able to see common themes and hints to your subconscious. This will allow you to understand yourself better and grow as a person.

Tips & Warnings

These steps can be repeated multiple times, using different characters, different episodes, entire seasons, new articles and books, and focusing on various aspects of your life.
As with most things in life, if you ignore this or write it off as useless, you may be missing out on something great; however, if you take it too seriously, you will likely miss the point entirely.