The Monomythology of Buffy

[lostboy_lj]

I've been having lots of thoughts lately about the mythology of the Buffyverse, particularly in relation to Joseph Campbell's theory of the "monomyth" - a detectable pattern of the hero's journey that seems to crop up across many cultures and eras.  The theory holds that, when deconstructed, most stories about mythological and religious heroes

Comments

[eilowyn]

I really, really want to delve into this deeper because I had a major Joseph Campbell phase about ten years ago, but I am exhausted and may not even get to this until Friday. And I want to debate with you where Surprise/Innocence through Becoming I and II would be. I think it would be more significant than a stop on the road of trials. And here I'm getting into it and I really want to sleep so thumbs up for subject matter and I'll get back to you on this.

[lostboy_lj]

Hey, no rush. Take your time. :)

[eilowyn]

Okay, I should be working on a paper but this is more fun

[lostboy_lj]

1. The goal wasn't really to use the TV show, just to flesh out Buffy's actual story (of which Hemery is part of). Like I mentioned elsewhere in the comments, there is significant overlap in the Departure phase, probably due to the fact that not everyone who was tuning in to the show would have watched the movie, but the events of the movie are referenced as canonical on the show. That's why I've mixed together show and movie images on several Departure steps. I've thought a bit about the similarities before, and a agree that S1 is a semi-reboot, but not a complete one. One thing I might consider doing, though is, coupling a series image with the second step, as I did for steps 3-5. But as far as I can tell the first step belongs to the film alone, because that's when she actually receives her calling. As Merrick's replacement, Giles is insisting that she resume her journey, not begin it

[lostboy_lj]

3. With the ultimate boon, I think that's sort of what I was trying to get at when I wrote:

Therefore, not all of my chosen images are intended to be direct and/or chronological analogs to the text they appear beside. Sometimes, I chose them because they evoked a certain time period in Buffy's life rather than a specific event, and other times I chose them because I thought they depicted a particular theme well, whether or not the theme in question was directly related to the scene the picture was taken from.The images I chose for the boon weren't directly related to that scene, but I chose them because I thought they evoked the boon well -- that "state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss" that she found in death, and believes she cannot find in life. So, I don't think the chronology changes; it's not that she discovers those for the first time in the Chosen, it's that she recognizes them for what they are. The boon is shown to us (the audience) in that penultimate scene using the physical representation of the fire (

[lostboy_lj]

The boon is shown to us (the audience) in that penultimate scene using the physical representation of the fire (and arguably before, in the campfire scene with the First Slayer)...

And having said that, now I'm wondering if I shouldn't subsitute the image of Gellar's face with a scene from the campfire, to press home the point that this isn't a chonological reference to that one scene...

hmmm...