School, as the setting for vampire tales resonates perfectly with teens: it is the venue for much of their social and cultural interaction, where acceptance, safety and emerging identity issues far outweigh any academic concerns (Krieder & Winchell, 2010). Teachers, too in most episodes, are irrelevant , inadequate, or at best, portrayed as ‘monsters’ or ‘aliens’ ,a reflection of teen uncertainty about authority figures (Jarvis, 2001). The article also makes mention of feminist ideals reflected in the strong, self- sufficient female Buffy character, an ideal originally envisioned by Joss Whedon, the creator of the series, "The very first mission statement of the show was the joy of female power: having it, using it, sharing it" (Whedon, in Gottlieb, 2002). Buffy shows viewers that as a modern girl, she can look after herself, defeating the ‘monsters’ in the supernatural world, and in ordinary teenage life, and all in trendy outfits.
The setting is the same – high school, and some similarities could also be made of surrounding characters. However there are a few distinct differences between heroines and their ‘monsters’ which bear consideration. Dana Stevens has (almost famously) claimed,” Bella is the Anti-Buffy” ( 2008) , indicating the very anti-feminist and antiquated gender roles portrayed by the central characters in the Twilight films and fiction. From the moment she meets Edward, Bella seems to show no interest in anything which does not involve him, and is frequently manipulated and controlled by not only Edward, but her other love interest – Jacob , who just happens to be a werewolf. She is even willing to die to be like him and with him forever (Merskin, 2011). The release of the Breaking Dawn movie next month will be an interesting development in the portrayal of Bella for audiences as her foray into impending motherhood puts her finally in a position of control, as she defies Edward’s wishes and directs her own fate.
What does all this mean for teachers and parents when addressing our teens and tweens? Firstly, comparisons between Buffy and Bella are inevitable (Nicol, 2011), and can be used to highlight changes in norms, individual choice and situational pressures for students. Secondly, for educators, using Buffy and Twilight to illustrate parallels in social studies , civil consciousness and moral understanding can be helpful in establishing interest and an identification point for a teenage student population (Jarvis, 2001). Understanding concepts within an environment similar to their own world helps establish relevance for young people when grappling with life’s lessons.
Winchell (2010) describes using Buffy the Vampire Slayer in lessons to illustrate feminism, conflict, gender relations and sexuality. Using specific episodes designed to illustrate learning points, activities and discussion is structured around analysis and comparison with other texts. As a comparison, the Twilight movies can be used to analyse different reactions to similar teen issues such as sexual desire and appropriate reactions. Jarvis (2001) indicates the strong relation that the teen horror genre has, with the fear of sexuality and feelings of forbidden love and pleasure. Both Buffy and Bella experience this in their stories, both being defined by the acts of their bodies and both grappling with the consequences . This can be used as an excellent teaching and discussion point surrounding gender relations sexual maturity and women’s rights. Even domestic violence issues can be discusses using the case of Bella’s insistence in Breaking Dawn in engaging in violent sex with Edward once they are married, despite the battering she receives (Nicol, 2011).
The learning potential for educators when using the celluloid vampire in classrooms does not end with feminist theory and gender relations, but can encompass other study areas such as non verbal communication, science (how are the supernatural forces plausibly explained?) and religious narratives. As a result, far from dismissing these teen horror films and programs as phases or fads, the potential of their use in classrooms should be harnessed by more teachers with a view to engaging and reaching their student body.
References
Gottlieb, A, (2002). Buffy’s Angels, Metroactive.com. Retrieved October 10 2011: http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/09.26.02/buffy1-0239.html
Jarvis, C. (2001). School is Hell: Gendered fears in teenage horror, Educational Studies, 27 (3). Retrieved October 9 2011: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03055690120076538
Kreider, J. A., Winchell, M.K. (2010). Introduction, Buffy in the Classroom : Essays on Teaching with the Vampire Slayer. McFarland.
Merskin, D. (2011). A boyfriend to Die For: Edward Cullen as Compensated Psychopath in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, Journal of Communication Inquiry, 35(2). Retrieved October 12 2011: http://jci.sagepub.com/cont4ent/35/2/157
Nayar, P.(2010) . How to domesticate a vampire: gender, blood relations and sexuality in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight.(Critical essay), Nebula,7(3). NobleWorld. Retrieved October 10 2011 : http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-238653765.html
Nicol, R. (2011). When you kiss me I want to die: Arrested Feminism in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Twilight Series. In Anatol, G. L. (ed), Bringing Light to Twilight : Perspectives on a Pop Culture Phenomenon. Palgrave Macmillan. E-book.
Stevens, D. (2008). Review of Twilight, Cute vegetarian vampires in the Pacific Northwest, Slate, November 20. http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2008/11/twilight.html.
Winchell, M. (2010). Whedon takes the Scary out of Feminism. In Kreider, J. A., Winchell, M.K. (eds.), Buffy in the Classroom : Essays on Teaching with the Vampire Slayer. McFarland.
I have been very interested to read this post, since you said you were going to write about it. A couple of years ago I had a supervision for a Year 10 English class who were studying Twilight. I was in a school that had very low literacy levels and struggled with student engagement. I was amazed at the amount of enthusiasm and engagement that I saw in the class. There were about five girls in the class who were Twilight fanatics and knew the story word for word and the boys were quite interested as well. Students were studying the characterisation of Bella and Edward. I think the reason why Bella is an “anti feminist” is because of Stephanie Meyer’s Morman beliefs, before writing she had a very traditional role of mother and housewife. Even though her characters are not Morman, her faith is reflected in the story. I think the Morman theme of choosing to take a different path from mainstream is reflected in Edward’s choices. He is different because he is a monster who resists the temptations to be one. I think this quote sums up the books themes of self restraint.
ReplyDelete“What makes Meyer's books so distinctive is that they're about the erotics of abstinence. Their tension comes from prolonged, superhuman acts of self-restraint. There's a scene midway through Twilight in which, for the first time, Edward leans in close and sniffs the aroma of Bella's exposed neck. "Just because I'm resisting the wine doesn't mean I can't appreciate the bouquet," he says.” (Grossman 2008)
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1734838,00.html#ixzz1dNI37OA6