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View Full Version : The Slayer’s Journey: Buffy as Monomythic Hero



Mara
04-08-2008, 11:05 PM
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Mara
04-08-2008, 11:05 PM
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Mara
04-08-2008, 11:06 PM
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Mara
04-08-2008, 11:06 PM
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Mara
04-08-2008, 11:06 PM
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Mara
04-08-2008, 11:07 PM
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Mara
04-08-2008, 11:07 PM
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Mara
04-08-2008, 11:07 PM
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Mara
04-08-2008, 11:08 PM
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Mara
04-08-2008, 11:08 PM
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Mara
04-08-2008, 11:10 PM
Okay, I created this for a different forum, but (frankly) I spent a damn long time on it, and I'm proud of it, so it gets reposted.

I thought it would be a good way to introduce myself to those who don't know me on the boards, as well, and remind those of you I do know that I'm long-winded and stuck on myself.

Spinal
04-08-2008, 11:27 PM
I just read The Hero with a Thousand Faces for the first time a few months ago and found it to be profound, inspirational, thought-provoking ... all that good stuff. I couldn't believe I had never read it before.

Unfortunately, I have no experience with Buffy outside of the Kristy Swanson movie. Still, I look forward to reading more of this when I can.

Mara
04-09-2008, 12:12 AM
I just read The Hero with a Thousand Faces for the first time a few months ago and found it to be profound, inspirational, thought-provoking ... all that good stuff. I couldn't believe I had never read it before.

Isn't it great? It's one of the books that I read when I have writer's block, because it always gets my creative juices going.

A note on Buffy:

I saw the film version when it was in theaters a million years ago, which is exactly why I never watched the show. It has such an unpromising premise and title. I was always struck, however, by the huge response it got from my online friends, so I finally watched the mostly-silly and heavily-expository first season a couple of years ago.

After the first season, it picks up significantly and becomes nearly obsessive. It's unapologetic in its wild mood swings from silly to serious, and from crass to profound. The character's developments, however, are some of the best I've ever seen on television. It's much safer in a serialized format to find a sympathetic character and then keep them pretty much the same for as long as possible. (Take "Scrubs," for example. It's a funny comedy with engaging characters, but they never develop or change in any significant way year after year after year.) Buffy was never afraid to shake things up and make good characters do very bad things, and make bad characters sympathetic.

Anyway, if the reason you haven't watched Buffy is because you're afraid it would be stupid (which was my reason) I'd recommend giving it a try.

D_Davis
04-09-2008, 12:15 AM
I just read The Hero with a Thousand Faces for the first time a few months ago and found it to be profound, inspirational, thought-provoking ... all that good stuff. I couldn't believe I had never read it before.


I've sworn by it for years.

It has shaped my eye for narrative appreciation, analysis, and criticism more than any one thing.

megladon8
04-09-2008, 02:27 AM
Incredible work, Mara.

You remind me of a younger, more ambitious me, who set out to chronicle the viewing of every Bond film.

But seriously, really great work. Have you thought of submitting this anywhere?

Mara
04-09-2008, 02:53 PM
Incredible work, Mara.

You remind me of a younger, more ambitious me, who set out to chronicle the viewing of every Bond film.

But seriously, really great work. Have you thought of submitting this anywhere?

Well, I could never have completed it if I wasn't currently unemployed.

I don't really feel the need to submit it anywhere. It was more of an excercise.

Kurosawa Fan
04-09-2008, 03:17 PM
You know, I should finally get off my ass and watch this show. My sister owns the entire series, so it would cost me nothing but my time.

Mara
04-09-2008, 03:20 PM
You know, I should finally get off my ass and watch this show. My sister owns the entire series, so it would cost me nothing but my time.

My work here is done.

Lucky
04-09-2008, 05:39 PM
You know, I should finally get off my ass and watch this show. My sister owns the entire series, so it would cost me nothing but my time.

If you're going to start, you have to make it a two season investment. Then you can accurately decide whether you would like to continue. In other words, don't judge the show by its first season.

Lucky
04-09-2008, 05:59 PM
That was an incredibly interesting read, Mara. Has Whedon ever admitted to being inspired by that work? Some of the facets (especially with the bisexual god) fit way too well for me to believe he had never read that book.

Mara
04-09-2008, 07:28 PM
That was an incredibly interesting read, Mara. Has Whedon ever admitted to being inspired by that work? Some of the facets (especially with the bisexual god) fit way too well for me to believe he had never read that book.

Not that I know of... a quick google search was inconclusive. Theoretically, if you are to fully accept Campbell's thesis, Whedon wouldn't need to read the book in order to intuitively grasp the symbols. But, as a well-read and literary individual, I would not be surprised if he has. It is extremely likely he has read Vogler's work, as well.

dreamdead
07-07-2008, 12:38 AM
Thought I'd give this the ol' bumper-roo since I finished the series last week. :)

Your thoughts as they apply to Buffy and Campbell are fruitful and certainly quite applicable. I can easily see how readily they give form to Buffy's narrative, and how dependent Buffy herself is on this framework. I'd think somewhere like here (http://slayageonline.com/) might find your work a handy companion.

Perhaps because of the snug fit between Buffy and the Campbell monomyth, I find myself drawn more closely to the variants on that myth (variant being the operative word since the secondary characters never quite receive the same level of attention here as Buffy does)--specifically how Andrew, Anya, and Xander fit into that framework. As the series progressed, I found myself incredibly involved in the development of the Xander/Anya relationship; involved more so than even the more sexy lead relationship between Spike and Buffy. And I think this is because with Xander/Anya, Whedon and Co. intentionally set out to chronicle the crossroads that settles into a(n eventually "mature") relationship formed around attraction, desire, and reciprocity, but one which struggles to articulate those latent fears formulated around the growth into adulthood, which Buffy and the Scoobies seem so fearful of throughout the show's progression.

More so, I'd be interested in how someone like Oz, a regular until Seth Green's need to leave for other pastures, figures into the myth, since so many of the other characters have this kind of Campbellian arc.

And speaking as a fan, ultimately, I find the third and fifth season pretty much perfect (note here my preference for the presence of physical villains and how allies shift alliances), followed by the second season and seventh season, with the sixth, fourth, and first all coming up in the rear. Despite the presence of some wonderful episodes, the whole Evil Willow thing seemed to lack enough build-up through the seasons, though the eventual payoff in the series finale works nicely.

Anyhoo. A rundown of the favorite eps (more analysis can follow if you desire the continued dialogue :)).

1. Once More, with Feeling (6)
2. Lover’s Walk (3)
3. Passion (2)
4. Hush (4)
5. Fool for Love (5)
6. The Body (5)
7. The Wish (3)
8. Doppelgangland (3)
9. The Replacement (5)
10. Conversations with Dead People (7)