I'm glad you loved the show so much :D. And I'd love to read more of your Damon thoughts when you feel like writing about them, because what you wrote so far is a very interesting interpretation :D.
I always hate it when people do things like "if you don't ship so and so, you weren't watching the show right" because television is a subjective medium and while the show will try to push certain ships there's no guarantee that a person is going to jump on the bandwagon. That being said, YOU'RE WATCHING THE SHOW RIGHT!!! I love that you're doing a paper on it (one of my ideas for my senior capstone is a comparison of the gothic in BtVS and TVD), I love your thoughts.
I always hate it when people do things like "if you don't ship so and so, you weren't watching the show right" because television is a subjective medium and while the show will try to push certain ships there's no guarantee that a person is going to jump on the bandwagon. That being said, YOU'RE WATCHING THE SHOW RIGHT!!!
Haha - I'm so glad! And I'm also glad that there are others who read these characters this way. There's so many interesting things happening, and it's all character-driven. It isn't too self-reflective that it loses sight of it's heart (coughcoughDollhousecoughcough).
Also, I tried really hard to show why I love the series without suggesting that we need to start a ship-war. Quite frankly, every "canon" ship works exactly the way that it is supposed to. And that's... well.... after suffering for as long as I have with Sookie Stackhouse and her incessant Bill/Eric hopping... Elena and Katherine are BAMF and their triangle(s) carry more weight and are taken more seriously.
Basically my thesis is BtVS and TVD are similar shows aimed at similar audiences with similar characters, but while TVD embraces it's gothic element (c'mon, that crow in the graveyard IN THE FIRST DANG EPISODE?) and has remained gothic (the Originals being the House of Usher that has fallen), BtVS subverts the gothic from the beginning with the heroine being a Valley girl cheerleader (the theme song is a good example of this - operatic organs and howling wolves giving way to electric guitars), and remains subverted throughout the series aims for a feminist reading rather than a traditional gothic reading. I gotta do more research on femininity and masculinity in the gothic to really nail down what I want to say, but that's what I have so far.
I really love this. Especially the link between the Originals and the House of Usher (which just makes my brain tingle with glee).
I read this thesis that made the claim that Elena existed in a quasi post-feminist state.... I wonder if you could respond to that someway. Maybe VDiaries sticks with a gothic narrative because the characters are post-feminist? I also read an analysis of Scully recently that claimed the same thing: that she carves a space within the system for herself, but doesn't actively fight patriarchy for the sake of others.
I don't buy the idea that we are living in a post-feminist state. But maybe the fact that VDiaries doesn't actively create a narrative in which feminist characters undermine the system - is indicitave of a cultural moment in which audiences don't feel they want/need their heroines to operate in that way
( ... )
Thank you for your analysis of Jeremy! I always liked him and found him really sympathetic but that all makes a lot of sense out of him, too.
I love the complicated relationship of Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena as well. Because that kind of friendship, where you grow up together like that, it's not always all wonderful and supportive. But there's a very deep understanding and care they have for each other. It's a realistically complicated friendship.
CARE-BEAR! I love her!
OMG, YOU GET DAMON. YOU REALLY DO.
Plus, in a story that is amuck with hormonal teenagers - these two were the only "adults" that know what is going on. Which often just means that they get drunk together. But how hard would that be - to be the adult, in this bizarre situation, and the only other person remotely near your own age is someone you love to hate = best friendship ever.
THEIR LOVE IS SO REAL OKAY.
have you noticed what he does with his dolls (besides rape and manipulate them?) - he plays fucking house.YES. And the first time around, when he does it
( ... )
Those girls are pretty awesomely... real and it's endearing because too often teen-dramas don't portray female relationships as being a good thing at all. It's almost better for the heroine when she throws herself into the new guy b/c then at least she's not dealing with her backstabbing friends. Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline - these girls behave like real girls.
CARE-BEAR! I love her! She OWNS MY SOUL. There is nothing else to say.
THEIR LOVE IS SO REAL OKAY. OMG SO MUCH LOVE IN THEIR LOVE.
but the story he created with Andie was so adult YES!!!! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS SAYING! He mimics the narrative that HE HIMSELF IS IN! It's so self-reflective and amazing! And he totally knows that he's playing the role - playing the role - playing the role. Gah. Usually postmodernism rubs me the wrong way - but I'd rather have a self-aware, postmodern vampire than a brooding and angsty vampire. (Stefan is SO unaware of himself.... ugh)
If I were an outsider and met them, I'd buy them as the
( ... )
Thank you for your analysis of Jeremy! I always liked him and found him really sympathetic but that all makes a lot of sense out of him, too.
I have it in my head that flashbacks of their parents will ruin the dynamic of the show - but I also think that it would also be interesting for someone to explore/explain why Elena and Jeremy are both so self-sacrificing....
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Haha - I need to actually start some schoolwork at some point today, so maybe more Damon-thoughts will happen next weekend :)
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Haha - I'm so glad! And I'm also glad that there are others who read these characters this way. There's so many interesting things happening, and it's all character-driven. It isn't too self-reflective that it loses sight of it's heart (coughcoughDollhousecoughcough).
Also, I tried really hard to show why I love the series without suggesting that we need to start a ship-war. Quite frankly, every "canon" ship works exactly the way that it is supposed to. And that's... well.... after suffering for as long as I have with Sookie Stackhouse and her incessant Bill/Eric hopping... Elena and Katherine are BAMF and their triangle(s) carry more weight and are taken more seriously.
one of my ideas for my senior capstone ( ... )
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I read this thesis that made the claim that Elena existed in a quasi post-feminist state.... I wonder if you could respond to that someway. Maybe VDiaries sticks with a gothic narrative because the characters are post-feminist? I also read an analysis of Scully recently that claimed the same thing: that she carves a space within the system for herself, but doesn't actively fight patriarchy for the sake of others.
I don't buy the idea that we are living in a post-feminist state. But maybe the fact that VDiaries doesn't actively create a narrative in which feminist characters undermine the system - is indicitave of a cultural moment in which audiences don't feel they want/need their heroines to operate in that way ( ... )
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I love the complicated relationship of Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena as well. Because that kind of friendship, where you grow up together like that, it's not always all wonderful and supportive. But there's a very deep understanding and care they have for each other. It's a realistically complicated friendship.
CARE-BEAR! I love her!
OMG, YOU GET DAMON. YOU REALLY DO.
Plus, in a story that is amuck with hormonal teenagers - these two were the only "adults" that know what is going on. Which often just means that they get drunk together. But how hard would that be - to be the adult, in this bizarre situation, and the only other person remotely near your own age is someone you love to hate = best friendship ever.
THEIR LOVE IS SO REAL OKAY.
have you noticed what he does with his dolls (besides rape and manipulate them?) - he plays fucking house.YES. And the first time around, when he does it ( ... )
Reply
Those girls are pretty awesomely... real and it's endearing because too often teen-dramas don't portray female relationships as being a good thing at all. It's almost better for the heroine when she throws herself into the new guy b/c then at least she's not dealing with her backstabbing friends. Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline - these girls behave like real girls.
CARE-BEAR! I love her!
She OWNS MY SOUL. There is nothing else to say.
THEIR LOVE IS SO REAL OKAY.
OMG SO MUCH LOVE IN THEIR LOVE.
but the story he created with Andie was so adult
YES!!!! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS SAYING! He mimics the narrative that HE HIMSELF IS IN! It's so self-reflective and amazing! And he totally knows that he's playing the role - playing the role - playing the role. Gah. Usually postmodernism rubs me the wrong way - but I'd rather have a self-aware, postmodern vampire than a brooding and angsty vampire. (Stefan is SO unaware of himself.... ugh)
If I were an outsider and met them, I'd buy them as the ( ... )
Reply
I have it in my head that flashbacks of their parents will ruin the dynamic of the show - but I also think that it would also be interesting for someone to explore/explain why Elena and Jeremy are both so self-sacrificing....
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