Week 10 (Rachel)

Cult TV

In what way is Buffy influenced by the romantic gothic tradition? Yet how does Buffy also provide a contemporary critique of this tradition?

I once read a quote defining Romanticism as ‘ an unending revolt  against convention, authoritarianism, insincerity and moderation, an extreme assertion of the self and the value of individual experience.” (Willet, 2006).

Central to the themes of the romantic gothic tradition is a “fear of science and technology and the effects of humanitycan be seen as a rejection of the values of order, calm, harmony, balance, and rationality of the late 18th-century”.

Anita Rose suggests that “Buffy employs Romantic ideology in contemporary contexts and terms and suggests alternatives within the framework”

Many of these themes can be found in Buffy. The characters in Buffy are not portrayed as all good or all bad, for example the characters of Spike and Angel are both morally ambiguous, this is a tradition seen also in classic gothic romantic texts such as Frankenstein.  Rose notes with particular emphasis the idea of the individual, she explains that traditionally the romantic figure is essentially sensitive and lonely, Buffy on the other hand is close with her Scobby- Doo gang and is also presented as tough. However Buffy is constantly having to reassess how she can work to work as a team and also maintain her individuality which is also re-occurring theme in a ot of teen drama.

Rose also points out the character of Adam in Buffy pays homage to the Frankenstein, with one of his first victims being a young boy. In the episode “Goodbye Iowa” we see the disastrous effects of technology if it is misused, pursuing scientific goals without thinking about the ethical effects. This theme is also addressed in Frankenstein. It is a common theme and has led to the stereotypical character in fiction ‘the mad scientist.’

References:

Rose, A. (2002) Of creatures and creators: Buffy does Frankenstein, in R. Wilcox & D.Lavery (eds) Fighting the Forces: what’s at stake in Buffy the Vampire slayer. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.

Willet, E. (2006 ). Jimi Hendrix: Kiss the Sky. Berkeley Heights, USA. Enslow Publishers