Faculty Publications

"It's Good to be Me": Buffy's Resistance to Renaming

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Slayage: The International Journal of Buffy

Volume

18

Issue

1

First Page

1

Last Page

18

Abstract

In Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), a series rife with examples of re-naming, self-naming, loss of name, nick-naming, and name-based magic, Buffy herself stands out as a character ultimately resistant to any attempt to over-write her core identity through manipulation of her name. This is not to say that her name and identity are never challenged; in fact,challenges to her identity from both within and without are a major recurring theme of the series. In its very title, the series “enacts [its] foundational myth[:] Buffy’s ongoing struggle with her composite character as [both] the ‘Chosen One’” and as Buffy. Both parts of her name, Buffy and The Vampire Slayer, are frequently questioned or threatened, and maintain a precarious balance as “seemingly mutually exclusive roles” (Allrath 135), but claiming and naming both aspects ofher identity equally is an act of power for Buffy.

Department

Rod Library

Original Publication Date

1-1-2020

Link to Full Text

Comments?

Share

COinS