Comments | gabrielleabelle: The Feminist Filter: Becoming 1

gabrielleabelle

The Feminist Filter: Becoming 1

Mar 15, 2012 19:34

Well, my hiatus was fun. And by "fun" I mean "holy shit so busy!" I've missed fandom stuff, though, so I offer this up before the court in the spirit of fun and feminism. :)

Mission Statement:This series is intended to outline the feminist text of each episode so as to provoke and encourage open discussion. It's not so much about making value ( Read more... )

the feminist filter, gabs gets feminist, why does s2 rock/suck so much?, btvs: meta

Comments 31

flagless_piracy March 18 2012, 16:46:12 UTC

Well, I wrote my thesis on Nabokov, so I guess I’m gonna tackle Lolita-vibes. And at this point in the term, I’m in the middle of analysing Lolita with my students, so I’m pretty much in the Nabokovian state of mind right now ( ... )

flagless_piracy March 18 2012, 16:46:31 UTC

Now, why this mini-lecture on Lolita? Well, for one, I’m a nerd. But seriously, a lot of people, most of those who haven’t read the novel and even a lot of those who have, take Humbert’s word for it. Lolita seduced him. They’re on equal grounds. They have equal power. Why? Because we tend to believe the person telling the story. Now, Buffy isn’t the one telling the story, because tv and literature are different media and Buffy rarely delves into the POV storytelling. But she is still the focaliser, and we see the things as she sees them. So, because she thinks that she and Angel are equal in terms of power, we tend to think so too. Even though they’re not. It takes real POV episodes to see that the others in the show don’t share Buffy’s view of her and Angel’s romance (The Zeppo, for instance ( ... )

gabrielleabelle March 18 2012, 22:47:02 UTC

I love these comments. I've neither read nor seen Lolita, so I defer it all to you, and I tend to agree with your analysis. :)

flagless_piracy March 19 2012, 17:56:22 UTC

Oh, you should read it, it's a wonderful book. Used to my favourite for years, until I read Pale Fire. The films aren't that great, though.

Thread 6

kikimay March 18 2012, 22:29:27 UTC

I loved your post!
So often I read that from Angel's lovers: Buffy was his first love, so they were emotionally on a common ground. It is really fair to think that?
Angel shows his power over Buffy many times, telling her what to do or stopping her from doing this. They are on different levels and their power in the relationship is not the same. It is really that important that for him was first love?

gabrielleabelle March 18 2012, 22:50:29 UTC

Is this supposed to be a reply to flagless_piracy, hon? :)

It is really that important that for him was first love?

I'd say not. To be honest, a lot of the older men that enter into relationships with young girls are emotionally immature, sometimes even childlike (hence why they argue that they just relate better to teen girls). It doesn't matter. They still have more experience (in life), they're generally in a better financial situation (as in, they're financially independent), and...they're adults. They can do all the adult things that teens can't do.

Angel has 200+ more years of experience in the world than Buffy. More than, he has experience with torturing, killing, and raping people. Regardless of his "love" status, he has the advantage in terms of power dynamics.

kikimay March 18 2012, 22:59:28 UTC

I was asking because I read this opinion so many times and I believe in what you say (they may be childlike but they are still adults) but I also have doubts. And I love Angel, mostly because of his show and the fact that Lorne calls him pastries, but I want to understand better and see him in a critic point of view. So that. ^^