Weaponised Information : The role of information and metaphor in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Authors

  • Jacob A Ericson Dalhousie University

Keywords:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon, Information

Abstract

Joss Whedon‘s hit television show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, presents a world of everyday teenage angst masked by a veil of horror.  This paper explores how information and librarianship function in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  To do this, this paper breaks down the prevailing metaphors present in the show‘s setting, such as how High school is portrayed as hell and monsters are teenage anxieties given life.  Then this paper explores the role of the librarian in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Finally, witchcraft is analyzed as an information management system and a force of weaponized information.  The end conclusion is that, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, information is a crucial weapon to not only defeating evil but also contending with the day to day struggles of everyday life.  

Author Biography

Jacob A Ericson, Dalhousie University

Jacob Ericson is a first year student in the Masters of Library and Information Studies at Dalhousie University.  He completed his Bachelors of Arts in Medieval Studies at the University of Virginia in 2012.  While his main interests are usability, information hierarchies, and health information management; Jacob also enjoys examining pop culture references from television shows and video games to see what insights they can lend to the field of information management. 

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Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2123/1268

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Published

2016-04-02

Issue

Vol. 12 (2016)

Section

Articles

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