"Of 'Course It's Blood": A Sanguine Reading of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'

Description

This paper contemplates the Series’ relationship with and uses of blood in rituals and the establishment of blood ties by using medieval cultural and theological understandings of blood, especially those regarding the sacrament of the Eucharist. This is not to argue Buffy knowingly utilised medieval notions of blood, but rather to argue that Buffy’s many uses of blood echo those found in the Middle Ages. I contend that using the medieval to read Buffy enriches the series’ plot because it highlights the religious symbolism and language of the series, the ‘cultural lexicon’ of religious, supernatural, and horror culture. Looking at medieval and contemporary religious culture as a language, something that is labile and unfixed with a variety of coexisting idioms, produces a richer reading of an already compelling series.

Period	24 Jul 2022
Event title	Slayage 9 Conference for the Association for the Study of Buffy+
Event type	Conference