Comments | sihaya09: Book Review: Finding Serenity

sihaya09

Book Review: Finding Serenity

Dec 29, 2005 00:08

Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds, and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon's 'Firefly'
Edited by Jane Espenson

( My thoughts, by article, under this cut. )

fandom, writing, books

Comments 13

mercury318 December 29 2005, 05:40:30 UTC

I remember hearing about this book and wanting to go buy it. However now I'm a little glad I didn't.
No coverage of the shows Western themes? Or the fact that in the core cast they have EVERY single Western archetype?

Also after reading your rant of matriarchies I have to ask...ever read "When God Was A Woman?" It was a hella popular book towards the end of the second wave of feminism and although it bears many of the hallmarks of the third wave (damn men! Damn them to hell!) it is pretty historically accurate. It actually goes into the chief historical matriarchies and why they failed. Something as simple as "men had iron and women had bronze."

But I was hoping the book would be a little more academic. Oh well.

sihaya09 December 29 2005, 05:52:59 UTC

I haven't read it. However, the author posits that every single goddess was related (to Kali Ma, no less!) and that all societies were interlinked matriarchies that were all peaceful and loving and goddess-centric. I'd need some SERIOUS sources to back that up, you know?

mercury318 December 29 2005, 08:41:06 UTC

The article in the Firefly book? Wow. Did the author never crack a history book or talk to an anthropologist? Matriarchies existed but they were extremely early in the history of man and I think only one or two was actually organized enough to leave anything of historical value behind. And Kali Ma is a Hindu goddess. Matriarchies were extremely early forms of government (barely organized) and their gods and goddess would not be based in India but in in the "cradle of civilization" Africa ( ... )

(The comment has been removed)

Thread 7

bansheewail December 29 2005, 05:44:32 UTC

LOL, I am so amused by how absolutely in line we were on the essays in this book! I like your idea of throwing the two sexist nincompoops in a room to thin out the stupid herd a bit. It is kind of hysterical how blind they both are in asserting their moral superiority by way of voicing their prejudices as truth.
But please, I got confused and spent a while searching online dictionaries, and it's nowhere to be found...what is "teh evol?" It's outside my ken, my barbie, and all my action figures! Speaking of Lorne, the Angel unofficial essay collection was mostly dull and dimwitted, but there was one nice little paean to Lorne's function in the series as truth-teller (though I do recall that description of Drogan, as well).

sihaya09 December 29 2005, 06:01:38 UTC

It's goofy netspeak for "evil." For instance:

Teh evol men came from the north and stomped all over our womb-shaped crop nests!

wicked_goddess December 29 2005, 06:00:27 UTC

I just saw your post linking to this on fireflyfans and now I think I have to friend you, because I know you from BPAL and see that you love Firefly too! And we have mutual friends!

Squee...Firefly/BPAL friends are the best, because they share both of my favorite obsessions!

maewitch December 29 2005, 06:46:45 UTC

This was great! I agree with pretty much 90% of what you wrote here, only I was way too lazy to write anything this in-depth. With FOOTNOTES and everything. Cause...me Pisces, you Virgo.

evergleam83 December 29 2005, 14:34:49 UTC

...so, can I borrow this sometime? ;)

Also, hee. Malcom Reynolds is a feminist. Yay.