Download or read book The Existential Joss Whedon written by J. Michael Richardson and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-11-18 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examines the major works of contemporary American television and film screenwriter Joss Whedon. The authors argue that these works are part of an existentialist tradition that stretches back from the French atheistic existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, through the Danish Christian existentialist Soren Kierkegaard, to the Russian novelist and existentialist Fyodor Dostoevsky. Whedon and Dostoevsky, for example, seem preoccupied with the problem of evil and human freedom. Both argue that in each and every one of us "a demon lies hidden." Whedon personifies these demons and has them wandering about and causing havoc. Dostoevsky treats the subject only slightly more seriously. Chapters cover such topics as Russian existentialism and vampire slayage; moral choices; ethics; Faith and bad faith; constructing reality through existential choice; some limitations of science and technology; love and self-sacrifice; love, witchcraft, and vengeance; soul mates and moral responsibility; love and moral choice; forms of freedom; and Whedon as moral philosopher.
Download or read book The Philosophy of Joss Whedon written by Dean A. Kowalski and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2012-01-27 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every generation produces a counterculture icon. Joss Whedon, creator of the long-running television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is famed for his subversive wit, rich characters, and extraordinary plotlines. His renown has only grown with subsequent creations, including Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, and the innovative online series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Through premises as unusual as a supernatural detective agency run by a vampire and a Western set in outer space, Whedon weaves stories about characters forced to make commonplace moral decisions under the most bizarre of circumstances. The Philosophy of Joss Whedon examines Whedon's plots and characterizations to reveal their philosophical takes on the limits of personal freedom, sexual morality, radical evil, and Daoism.
Download or read book Joss Whedon as Philosopher written by Dean Kowalski and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2017-11-29 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, Dean Kowalski argues that filmmakers can “do” philosophy when creating a fictional narrative film, and utilizes a careful and extensive analysis of Joss Whedon’s fictive creations—Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, and The Cabin in the Woods (among others)—to establish this thesis. This book appeals to many different readers. For the many admirers of Whedon’s fictive creations, it offers one of the most comprehensive analyses of his corpus. It reprises many examples and dialogue passages from the far corners of the so-called “Whedonverse.” You’ll get a chance to re-experience your favorite dramatic moments, and think about them in novel ways. For popular culture scholars, it offers illustrations of various philosophical theories, explains how those theories pertain to relevant data points in Whedon’s oeuvre, and assesses whether, or to what extent, they have real-world application. For philosophers of film, it explicates crucial issues germane to the film-as-philosophy debate, but also expands them to television—all in the attempt to demonstrate why it is that Whedon ought to be included among those rare filmmakers who engage the philosophical process via their artistry.
Download or read book Reading Joss Whedon written by Rhonda V. Wilcox and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 2014-05-16 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Whedonverse Catalog written by Don Macnaughtan and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2018-06-04 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Director, producer and screenwriter Joss Whedon is a creative force in film, television, comic books and a host of other media. This book provides an authoritative survey of all of Whedon's work, ranging from his earliest scriptwriting on Roseanne, through his many movie and TV undertakings--Toy Story, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly/Serenity, Dr. Horrible, The Cabin in the Woods, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.--to his forays into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The book covers both the original texts of the Whedonverse and the many secondary works focusing on Whedon's projects, including about 2000 books, essays, articles, documentaries and dissertations.
Download or read book Joss Whedon as Shakespearean Moralist written by J. Douglas Rabb and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-11-26 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on the works of Shakespeare and American screenwriter Joss Whedon, this study in narrative ethics contends that Whedon is the Shakespeare of our time. The Bard wrote before the influence of the modern moral philosophers, while Whedon is writing in the postmodern period. It is argued that Whedon's work is more in harmony with the early modern values of Shakespeare than with modern ethics, which trace their origin to 17th and 18th century moral philosophy. This study includes a detailed discussion of representative works of Shakespeare and Whedon, showing how they can and should be read as forms of narrative ethics.
Download or read book Joss Whedon and Race written by Mary Ellen Iatropoulos and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2016-11-24 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joss Whedon is known for exploring philosophical questions through socially progressive narratives in his films, television shows and comics. His work critiques racial stereotypes, sometimes repudiating them, sometimes reinvesting in them (sometimes both at once). This collection of new essays explores his representations of racial power dynamics between individuals and institutions and how the Whedonverse constructs race, ethnicity and nationality relationships.
Download or read book Joss Whedon and Religion written by Anthony R. Mills and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2013-09-27 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a collection of new essays on the religious themes in, and the implications of, the works of Joss Whedon, creator of such shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly, and more recently writer and director of the box-office hit Marvel's The Avengers. The book addresses such topics as ethics, racism, feminism, politics, witchcraft, spiritual transformation, identity, community, heroism, apocalypse, and other theologically significant themes of Whedon's creative enterprises. The disciplinary approaches vary as well; history, theology, philosophy of religion, phenomenology, cultural studies, and religious studies are all employed. The various essay authors differ in that some are clearly believers in God, some are clearly not, and others leave that matter aside.
Download or read book The Psychology of Joss Whedon written by Joy Davidson and published by BenBella Books. This book was released on 2007-11-10 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First there was “Buffy the Vampire Slayer"; then its spin-off “Angel"; then the cult hit “Firefly"; and its follow-up film, “Serenity." They all had two things in common: their creator, Joss Whedon … and their surprising psychological depth. Revisit the worlds of Joss Whedon … with trained psychologists at your side. What are the psychological effects of constantly fighting for your life? Why is neuroscience the Whedonverse's most terrifying villain? How can watching Joss's shows help you take on your own psychological issues? It's all the best parts of Psych 101—without Professor Walsh. * Robert Kurzban explains how Mal's morals are a form of evolutionary pornography, and why we like to watch * Thomas Flamson explores free will in the Whedonverse—with prophecies, sacred duties and the long arm of the Alliance, does anyone actually have any? * Carole Poole demonstrates how Buffy and Spike's season six relationship could be considered metaphor for narcissistic personality disorder—and concludes that Buffy may have been better off continuing it * Bradley J. Daniels looks at River's Alliance-altered brain, and the real effects of “stripping" the amygdala * Mikhail Lyubansky shows why, psychologically, death really is Buffy's gift * And editor Joy Davidson takes on Angel's mommy issues—how the course of his whole extraordinary existence can be traced back to the woman who made him a vampire
Download or read book Sexualities in the Works of Joss Whedon written by Lewis Call and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2020-05-21 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joss Whedon's works, across all media including television, film, musicals, and comic books, are known for their commitment to gender and sexual equality. They have always encouraged their audiences to love whomever, and however, they wish. This book is a history of the sexualities represented in the works of Joss Whedon and it covers all of Whedon's genres, including fantasy, horror, science fiction, westerns, superhero stories, and Shakespearean comedy. Unique for its consideration of the entire arc of Whedon's two-decade career, from the beginning of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first season in 1997 through the conclusion of its twelfth (comic book) season in 2018, this book examines in detail both better-known queer sexualities of the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and lesser-known non-normative sexualities. The book includes chapters on Whedon's sexually dominant women and submissive men, sexual pluralism on Firefly, disabled sexualities in Whedon's superhero narratives, zoophilia in Buffy, queer and heteronormative sexualities in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, the subversion of the sexual tropes of slasher films in The Cabin in Woods, and dominance and submission in Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing.
Download or read book Joss Whedon Anarchist written by James Rocha and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2019-08-07 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joss Whedon has created numerous TV series, movies, comics and one sing-along-blog, all of which focus on societal problems in the metaphorical guise of monsters-of-the-week and over-arching big-bads. The present work examines structural violence through interdimensional law firm Wolfram & Hart's legal representation of evil. We explore the limits of consent through the Rossum Corporation's coercion and manipulation. We rehearse the struggle to find meaningful freedom from the crew of Serenity. This book traces a theme of anarchist theory through the multiple strings of the Whedonverse--all of his works show how ordinary heroes can unite for the love of humanity to save the world from hierarchy and paternalism.
Download or read book Joss Whedon s Big Damn Movie written by Frederick Blichert and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2018-03-26 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Joss Whedon's television show Firefly (2002-2003) was cancelled, devoted fans cried foul and demanded more--which led to the 2005 feature film Serenity. Both the series and the film were celebrated for their melding of science fiction and western iconography, dystopian settings, underdog storylines, and clever fast-paced dialogue. Firefly has garnered a great deal of scholarly attention--less so, Serenity. This collection of new essays, the first focusing exclusively on the film, examines its depictions of race, ableism, social engineering and systems of power, and its status as a crime film, among other topics.
Download or read book The Buffyverse Catalog written by Don Macnaughtan and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-08-21 with total page 964 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This bibliographic guide covers the “Buffyverse”—the fictional worlds of the acclaimed television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) and its spinoff Angel (1999–2004), as well as the original Buffy feature film of 1992. It is the largest and most inclusive work of its kind. The author organizes and describes both the original texts of the Buffyverse (episodes, DVDs, novels, comic books, games, and more) and the secondary materials created about the shows, including books, essays, articles, documentaries, dissertations, fan production and websites. This vast and diverse collection of information about these two seminal shows and their feature-film forebear provides an accessible, authoritative and comprehensive survey of the subject.
Download or read book The Comics of Joss Whedon written by Valerie Estelle Frankel and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-06-15 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A great deal of scholarship has focused on Joss Whedon's television and film work, which includes Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, The Cabin in the Woods and The Avengers. But Whedon's work in the world of comics has largely been ignored. He created his own dystopian heroine, Fray, assembled the goofy fannish heroes of Sugarshock, and wrote arcs for Marvel's Astonishing X-Men and Runaways. Along with The Avengers, Whedon's contributions to the cinematic Universe include: script doctoring the first X-Men film, writing a ground-shaking Wonder Woman screenplay, and co-creating ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Today, Whedon continues the Buffy and Firefly stories with innovative comics that shatter the rules of storytelling and force his characters to grow through life-altering conflicts. This collection of new essays focuses on Whedon's comics work and its tie-ins with his film and television productions, emphasizing his auteurism in crossing over from panel to screen to panel. Essays focus on the comic inspirations and subversive tropes of the Whedonverse, as well as character changes and new interpretations.
Download or read book Re Entering the Dollhouse written by Heather M. Porter and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2022-05-10 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Premiering on Fox in 2009, Joss Whedon's Dollhouse was an innovative, contentious and short-lived science fiction series whose themes were challenging for viewers from the outset. A vast global corporation operates establishments (Dollhouses) that program individuals with temporary personalities and abilities. The protagonist assumes a different identity each episode--her defining characteristic a lack of individuality. Through this obtuse premise, the show interrogated free will, morality and sex, and in the process its own construction of fantasy and its audience. A decade on, the world is--for better or worse--catching up with Dollhouse's provocative vision. This collection of new essays examines the series' relevance in the context of today's social and political issues and media landscape.
Download or read book The Literary Angel written by AmiJo Comeford and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fictionalized Los Angeles of television's Angel is a world filled with literature--from the all-important Shansu prophecy that predicts Angel's return to a state of humanity to the ever-present books dominating the characters' research sessions. This collection brings together essays that engage Angel as a text to be addressed within the wider fields of narrative and literature. It is divided into four distinct parts, each with its own internal governing themes and focus: archetypes, narrative and identity, theory and philosophy, and genre. Each provides opportunities for readers to examine a wide variety of characters, tropes, and literary nuances and influences throughout all five televised seasons of the series and in the current continuation of the series in comic book form.
Download or read book The Palgrave Handbook of the Vampire written by Simon Bacon and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on with total page 1746 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
