Education In Joss Whedon's Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer undeniably made deep and impactful connections with its target audience; teenagers. Though the main cast eventually grows up with its audience, Joss Whedon’s beloved series originally takes place in high school, juxtaposed to the dark and gritty secret life that Buffy hides from her mother. The series itself symbolizes the personal demons of teenagers and the ‘monsters’ they fight in what is a commonly difficult time for adolescents. Because of this prominent setting, education undoubtedly plays a major role in the show, both directly and symbolically. While knowledge is a highly valued commodity in the show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer criticizes liberal education – that is, an education that explores the basic and essential knowledge of multiple fields despite personal inclinations – in

Knowledge, one could argue, is one of the most valuable ‘weapons’ the iconic Scoobies have alongside wit (both of which are signs of intelligence and assumedly education). The first three seasons see the characters meeting in the library most every episode, often to research the current monster with Giles’ books or to plan their next attack. In the season three finale this is especially apparent, as they use the knowledge of Mayor Wilkins’ ‘Ascension’, which they painstakingly earned by tricking Faith, to prepare themselves and their entire class to defeat him (“Graduation Day Pt. 2,” 3.22). Without such information, it is highly probable that the entire population of the fictional Sunnydale would have been devoured. However, knowledge – the truth – is also