The Psychology of Joss Whedon: An Unauthorized Exploration of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly

by Joy Davidson, Leah Wilson, Mikhail Lyubansky

First there was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"; then its spin-off "Angel"; then the cult hit "Firefly"; and its follow-up film, "Serenity." They all had two things in common: their creator, Joss Whedon ... and their surprising psychological depth.

Revisit the worlds of Joss Whedon ... with trained psychologists at your side. What are the psychological effects of constantly fighting for your life? Why is neuroscience the Whedonverse's most terrifying...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1933771259
• ISBN13: 9781933771250
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Smart Pop
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Decent Joss shtick

This book goes into the psychology of Joss Whedon's TV shows (buffy, firefly/serenity, not much dollhouse), but tends to cover the same ground several times; this falls at the feet of the editor. Perhaps there isn't more out there. We read about strong female characters and how the various sidekicks complete the main character. I'd say this is an OK book, but not outstanding.

Perfect for the casual reader

If you're not a psychology student/ scholar this is the book for you. It's interesting, informative and explains, in easy to understand words, the psychological terms it employs. So even if you've never taken a psych class you can still enjoy the book, and probably even learn a few things about your own psyche in the process. Like the other reviewer said, I've seen essays referring to all seasons of Buffy and Angel, and every episode of Firefly. So it's definitely better if you have seen every episode before reading the book, just so it doesn't ruin watching the show for you.

Interesting and informative

This is the first book I have read in the Psychology and Popular Culture series, and I enjoyed it. Although I have taken a university psych course and had some background knowledge on the topics discussed, the book still would have been easy to understand if I hadn't. The book covers mostly Firefly/Serenity and Buffy, although there are a few essays about Angel. The contributors do reference all seasons / episodes of the series, so this is a book that's best to read after you've watched all episodes (unless you want to be spoiled).