Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Jana Riess has signed a new book deal for What Would Buffy Do? - A Vampire Slayer As Spiritual Guide with US publishers Jossey Bass.

Covering all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it contains fifteen short chapters on different spiritual themes, including redemption, forgiveness, the appropriate use of power, death-awareness, and the quest for the self.

It may be about spirituality, but the book isn’t out to highlight or recruit for any one religion. "A number of different religious worldviews come into play in the show," said Riess. "And that includes Christianity and Buddhism. I’ll certainly be looking at how Messiah themes play out, for example. But, my book, like the show itself, is not tied to one particular religious tradition, and explores how the show patches together diverse elements from several religions. In a way, the series is kind of the poster child of the new millennial spirituality, which pulls together elements from fairly disparate sources."

So what does the book have to say about something like appropriate use of power? "This has really been a central theme of the seventh season, so I guess I should answer with the proviso that I may have to change my mind about what the show is saying if later episodes contradict it! But in general, Buffy has always been clear about the idea that it is not moral to use evil, even for a good end. The end never justifies the means on Buffy; while she and other characters are sometimes tempted to employ the powers of darkness to save the world - and it at times seems noble to do so - it’s wrong. But the show is very open about discussing the attraction of the darkness, and certainly the whole descent of Willow into dark magic is a good example. Willow has to learn (the hard way) that she cannot abuse magic to impose her own selfish wishes on the world."

"Another theme on Buffy - which is a corollary to this - is the importance of the individual. My college roommate and I were just discussing this the other night, and she pointed out that Buffy goes to great lengths to save every individual - even when, as Spock says in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one, or the few. In Choices, (Episode 3.19), for example, Buffy refuses to sacrifice Willow’s life, even if it means risking the lives of others - a sacrifice that her new Watcher, Wesley, is more than willing to make. So you see, the show offers a really tremendous ethical statement about the worth of every person."

And you’ve got plenty of time to save your pennies for this one, the book won’t be out till May 2004.