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orangerfulI was reminded of this today when my mom arrived with a newspaper clipping in hand. I saw Joss Whedon's face and assumed it was yet another interview about The Avengers but then I looked closer and noticed it was about a brand new book -- Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion: The TV Series, The Movies, The Comic Books and More (which, of course, I now NEED!)
You might not be aware of this, but I collect Whedon-Academia books. There's a lot of stuff to collect out there about Joss and his works, but the academic books, the scholarly examinations of his works are my very favorites. They present the shows to me in a whole new light and help me think critically about popular culture and media. Here are just a few of my favorite titles (in case you're interested):
Sex and the Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer for the Buffy Fan - a great introduction for anyone interested in gender studies but unsure of where to start - use your favorite Slayer and the Scoobies to gain an understanding of popular culture, media, gender and how they all interact together. (Click through to GoodReads, there is a Google Preview of the introduction). This book is very well written so even the non-academics among us can enjoy it!
Televised Morality: The Case of Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- this was actually written by someone who wanted to teach a course on morality. Again, why not examine the subject and the philosophies around morality using the Sunnydale crew as your backdrop. While it can be a bit more academic than other books, it's still very readable.
Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- this book is great, if only because it makes that case the a television show, just like a book or a movie, can be art. It also makes you realize that every single art form that we worship now was once scoffed at.
Seven Seasons of Buffy -- the Smart Pop book that started it all! 7 essays about all things Buffy written by science fiction and fantasy writers who love the show. They cover lots of different topics and issues and you get some different perspectives. Even if you don't agree with their conclusions, it makes you think about the show, characters, and certain episodes in a different way.
Hm...those all ended up being BtVS books. That wasn't my original plan but those are my favorites in my collection. There are plenty more on my shelf and available to purchase. If you're interested in a quick-fix of Whedon Academia, look no further than Slayage. While some of these essays can be on the heavy side, it's a great way to expand your mind.
You might not be aware of this, but I collect Whedon-Academia books. There's a lot of stuff to collect out there about Joss and his works, but the academic books, the scholarly examinations of his works are my very favorites. They present the shows to me in a whole new light and help me think critically about popular culture and media. Here are just a few of my favorite titles (in case you're interested):
Sex and the Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer for the Buffy Fan - a great introduction for anyone interested in gender studies but unsure of where to start - use your favorite Slayer and the Scoobies to gain an understanding of popular culture, media, gender and how they all interact together. (Click through to GoodReads, there is a Google Preview of the introduction). This book is very well written so even the non-academics among us can enjoy it!
Televised Morality: The Case of Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- this was actually written by someone who wanted to teach a course on morality. Again, why not examine the subject and the philosophies around morality using the Sunnydale crew as your backdrop. While it can be a bit more academic than other books, it's still very readable.
Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- this book is great, if only because it makes that case the a television show, just like a book or a movie, can be art. It also makes you realize that every single art form that we worship now was once scoffed at.
Seven Seasons of Buffy -- the Smart Pop book that started it all! 7 essays about all things Buffy written by science fiction and fantasy writers who love the show. They cover lots of different topics and issues and you get some different perspectives. Even if you don't agree with their conclusions, it makes you think about the show, characters, and certain episodes in a different way.
Hm...those all ended up being BtVS books. That wasn't my original plan but those are my favorites in my collection. There are plenty more on my shelf and available to purchase. If you're interested in a quick-fix of Whedon Academia, look no further than Slayage. While some of these essays can be on the heavy side, it's a great way to expand your mind.
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(no subject)
Date: 2012-06-19 12:26 am (UTC)I would love to read all of these books! Especially Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!
I also bookmarked Slayage to check out at length later on. Thanks for the recs!
(no subject)
Date: 2012-06-20 03:00 am (UTC)And there are plenty more where this came from! (http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/314247?shelf=whedon_studies)
I just started "Faith and Choice in the Works of Joss Whedon" last night and I'm already looking at Dawn in a whole new way. I just love this stuff!!! I can't wait to see what ends up being written about Avengers and Cabin in the Woods
(no subject)
Date: 2012-06-23 02:52 pm (UTC)Thanks for the link! I definitely want to check a lot of these out. They all sound so interesting.