This is an excellent book about how Buffy's progression as a character through the original movie, the tv series, and the Season 8 comic book follows the arc of a heroine's journey. As someone who loves Buffy and is always fascinated by archetypal studies, this book was right up my alley.

It's easy to see the growth of Buffy's character over the years, but this book really breaks down the critical steps in her life -- and without denying the uniqueness of each of the vivid supporting characters, it shows how each of them function as aspects of Buffy's Self as she strives for maturity, balance and fully realized heroism.

Unlike some of the "Whedon studies" books out there, this is not an intensely academic analysis. Instead, it's easily accessible by general readers, many of whom may find it a good introduction to the basic Jungian concepts of Anima and Animus, the Shadow, and etc.

Ultimately, it heightened my appreciation of a show I already love. ( )

Although I am a huge fan of all things Buffy, I found this book to be a hard read. I liked the tables and charts in the book.The twist on Joseph Campbell's writings intrigued me, and I believe the book was well thought out. On the plus side, the book did make me dig out my DVD's and watch a few episodes and that is always a good thing. ( )

This had potential, but overall (even as a Buffy fanatic!), I found this to be a fairly dry read. Although the topic was fairly interesting, it read in general more as a thesis dialogue than as a fully developed book. Not one that I will re-read. ( )

Why read: Received from LibraryThing Early Reviewers

What impressed me: Nothing.

What disappointed me: I don't know what I expected going into this book, but whatever it was, I didn't get it. Calling this book dry is generous. I love Buffy. All aspects of Buffy. But somewhere in comparing Buffy's life to that of the pattern of the heroine's journey in myth, all that was Buffy was lost and all that remained was academic theory. Gone was the wit that drove the series and with it my ability to read the book without falling asleep. While I believe the author had good intentions and a wealth of knowledge, she failed to grasp the true appeal of Buffy - our ability to relate to her.

Recommended: Absolutely not. ( )

I love reading books on cultural criticism that present different perspectives on the books and shows that I read. So, as a long time fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I was drawn to this book that looks at a variation of the mythical structure in the Heroine's Journey (basically the female version of the Hero's Journey presented by Joseph Campbell).

The Heroine's Journey, while similar to the Hero's Journey, differs in many ways. One example is the concept of long sleep or decent into darkness (familiar in Sleeping Beauty, Persephone, Snow White, and others) in which the heroine gathers strength and wisdom before the final battle. Other tropes include battling the Dark Mother and seeking wisdom from female sources.

The concept of the Heroine's Journey was fascinating to me in and of itself (and now I'm interested in reading [From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine's Journey Through Myth and Legend, which discusses this in more general terms), but seeing it applied along with along with mythical tropes to Buffy was fascinating. The book walks through all the seasons of Buffy, including not only the TV series, but also the disconnected movie and the ensuing eighth season comic books. Frankel's work did exactly what I hoped it would, presented new ways of looking at the show I loved, allowing me to appreciate it from a new perspective, while also presenting new mythological concepts for me to apply to other books and shows that I enjoy (as well as giving me an opportunity to apply them in my own writing. ( )