"A jam-packed collection of scholarly works on the beloved nerd icon that may be ideal for Whedon superfans."—Clique Clack
"A critical anthology edited by some of the architects of Whedon Studies, offers an exciting, engaging snapshot of the work produced by scholars in this growing area of study."—Theatre Library Association
"The text is invaluable for Whedon scholars. However, Reading Joss Whedon is not simply valuable for Whedon 'acafans' It stands as an exemplar for popular culture studies, showing intertextualities and interconnectedness by which scholars from different disciplines can interrogate pop culture artifacts, no matter the medium and no matter the topic."—The Popular Culture Studies Journal
Description
In an age when geek chic has come to define mainstream pop culture, few writers and producers inspire more admiration and response than Joss Whedon. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Much Ado About Nothing, from Dr. Horrible’s Sing–Along Blog to The Avengers, the works of Whedon have been the focus of increasing academic attention. This collection of articles represents some of the best work covering a wide array of topics that clarify Whedon’s importance, including considerations of narrative and visual techniques, myth construction, symbolism, gender, heroism, and the business side of television. The editors argue that Whedon’s work is of both social and aesthetic significance; that he creates “canonical television.” He is a master of his artistic medium and has managed this success on broadcast networks rather than on cable.
From the focus on a single episode to the exploration of an entire season, from the discussion of a particular narrative technique to a recounting of the history of Whedon studies, this collection will both entertain and educate those exploring Whedon scholarship for the first time and those planning to teach a course on his works.
Table of Contents
Contents by Topic
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Much Ado about Whedon
Rhonda V. Wilcox
Part One: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: An Introduction
Rhonda V. Wilcox
From Beneath You, It Foreshadows: Why Buffy’s First Season Matters
David Kociemba
Hero’s Journey, Heroine’s Return?: Buffy, Eurydice, and the Orpheus Myth
Janet K. Halfyard
“It’s Like Some Primal, Some Animal Force . . . That Used to Be Us”: Animality, Humanity, and Moral Careers
in the Buffyverse
Ananta Mukherjea
“Can I Spend the Night / Alone?”: Segments and Connections in “Conversations with Dead People”
Rhonda V. Wilcox
“Hey, Respect the Narrative Flow Much?”: Problematic Storytelling in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Richard S. Albright
All Those Apocalypses: Disaster Studies and Community in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
Linda J. Jenson
Part Two: Angel
Angel: An Introduction
Cynthea Masson
“Enough of the Action, Let’s Get Back to Dancing”: Joss Whedon Directs Angel
Stacey Abbott
What the Hell?: Angel’s “The Girl in Question”
Cynthea Masson
Part Three: Firefly and Serenity
Firefly and Serenity: An Introduction
Tanya R. Cochran
Firefly: Of Formats, Franchises, and Fox
Matthew Pateman
“Wheel Never Stops Turning”: Space and Time in Firefly and Serenity
Alyson R. Buckman
Metaphoric Unity and Ending: Sending and Receiving Firefly’s Last “Message”
Elizabeth L. Rambo
Part Four: Dollhouse
Dollhouse: An Introduction
David Lavery
Reflections in the Pool: Echo, Narcissus, and the Male Gaze in Dollhouse
K. Dale Koontz
“There Is No Me; I’m Just a Container”: Law and the Loss of Personhood in Dollhouse
Sharon Sutherland and Sarah Swan
Part Five: Beyond the Box
Joining the Evil League of Evil: The Rhetoric of Posthuman Negotiation in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
Victoria Willis
Buffy’s Season 8, Image and Text: Superhero Self-Fashioning
Marni Stanley
Watchers in the Woods: Meta-Horror, Genre Hybridity, and Reality TV: Critique in The Cabin in the Woods
Kristopher Karl Woofter
Joss Whedon Throws His Mighty Shield: Marvel’s The Avengers as War Movie
Ensley F. Guffey
Part Six: Overarching Topics
Stuffing a Rabbit in It: Character, Narrative, and Time in the Whedonverses
Lorna Jowett
Adventures in the Moral Imagination: Memory and Identity in Whedon’s Narrative Ethics
J. Douglas Rabb and J. Michael Richardson
Technology and Magic: Joss Whedon’s Explorations of the Mind
Jeffrey Bussolini
About the Author
Rhonda V. Wilcox is professor of English at Gordon State College in Georgia.
Tanya R. Cochran is associate professor of English at Union College in Nebraska.
Cynthea Masson is professor of English at Vancouver Island University.
David Lavery is professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University.
May 2014