To define postmodernism, and unpack its often elusive meanings, it is Jean-François Lyotard that most succinctly explains. Famously writing: 'Simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.' (Lyotard .F. 2010) Though simplified, this study serves to pull together the mass of theory and voices into a form of definition. Under the umbrella of Lyotard's definition, it is possible to comprehend postmodernism, and solidifies the idea of the postmodern condition, all within his work also titled 'The Post Modern Condition'. In a different look at postmodernism, but one that still echoes the work of Leotard, is Keith Jenkins, who writes of 'the era of the raising to the conciseness of the "aporia"(Jenkins .K. 2003). 'Aporia', of Greek origins, is a word referring to both places and people. What Jenkins explores within his work is the idea that fundamental institutions and understandings we base our decision making, judgments and choices, 'lack foundations' (Southgate .B. 2003), therefore they are not valid. What postmodernism does, is question academia, narratives, and histories, questioning disciplines that have long since remained undisputed. To define postmodernism itself would be an almost ironic contradiction, as postmodernist theories dictate, it cannot be summarised from one given place, it is instead an evolving body of thought. As a result of the question as to whether postmodernism still holds contemporary significance, is that, simply, yes it does, as it is a summative overlook of an ever-changing body of theory developing with time.
For the purpose of this essay and to explore postmodernism's contemporary significance, the role of television with particular emphasis on 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer is considered. Television, arguably, one of, if not, the most accessible way to explore postmodern thought, offering compelling examples of ideas and thoughts in keeping with the theory. Many of the buzz words linked to this concept, including, hyperreality, fragmentation, intertextuality, pastiche and so on, are readily made features of television. The notion of narratives without limitation explains why shows like 'Twin Peaks' and 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', are perfect canvases of postmodern thought. Theorist Jean Baudrillard alleges that we are now living in a world of stimulation, where the media generates imagery that functions independently from any reality external to them, floating around in a self-referential, hyperreality. As Stuart Sim suggests the mind of an individual is so filled with constant imagery that it has contributed to a 'mutation in everyday perception' (Sim.S. 2001). Supported with vigour by John Friske, in his essay "Postmodernism and Television," describing how in hours viewing a person of today's society is likely to view more images in an hours sitting of television than a pre-industrial equivalent would in a lifetime. When looking specifically at the supernatural and horror genres, the identifiers of postmodernism are abundant, authors and writers able to access an array of textual landscapes. The realistic is combined with the fantastic, creating complex and seemingly limitless storylines, which ultimately allow for an examination of the human condition, more specifically the fear of our own potential.
These fears are brought to the forefront through the key identifiers of the horror and fantasy genres.
One such theme which links to postmodernism is the monstrous character or narrative— which often, is interpreted a metaphorical representation an individual, or societal fear, of monstrous potential. In John Gordon and Veronica Hunger's work "Blood Read: The Vampire as a metaphor in contemporary culture" helps to illuminate the idea of 'mirrored images' and explores 'aspects of that peculiar human condition which has been termed "postmodern," since postmodernism is one of the more productive — and challenging — paradigms through which contemporary Western culture is being conceptualised' (Hollinger.V. 1997). Therefore, shows like Buffy, do intact hold contemporary significance in terms of its presentation of postmodernism as it helping to 'conceptualise' Western culture. Meaning the significance of this case study is that the characters plights and the storylines hold a mirror up to societies fears and insecurities. However, herein lies one of the biggest weakness of the postmodernist thought, in that it at its most fundamental level postmodernism is 'a rejection of many, if not, most of the cultural certainties on which life in the West has been structured over the last couple of centuries.' (Sim.S. 2001). Yet as with the previous quotation, both refer almost exclusively to the West, and more often than not, to Europe specifically. Therefore the idea of a postmodern 'incredulity toward metanarratives' (Lyotard .F. 2010) or the 'rejection of many… of the cultural certainties,' (Sim.S. 2001) is in itself a contradiction. As it fails to question these 'certainties' beyond the very immediate, and as a result, how can postmodernity question or refuse metanarratives and certainties if all have not be considered with equal import?
In the case study of Buffy, fear, is explored through the relationship between the 'monstrous' and the human. Postmodernism, which saw its emergence in the latter decades of the twentieth century, coincided with atrocities throughout the world, particularly the West's disillusionment following the horrors of the World Wars, the Holocaust, the Atomic bomb, and the Vietnam War amongst others. These traumas, of course not the first world atrocities, were forced into unprecedented illumination by the efficiency of contemporary communicational technologies and the decline of censorship. Jean Baudrillard, within his work, discusses the pervasive impact communication technologies have upon peoples lives, blurring the distinction as mentioned, between reality and imagination, creating a culture of hyperreality. The cinematic and television industry has lent itself to this school of thought, and has proved susceptible to postmodernist ideologies. As Cristina Pinedo discusses in her work 'Recreational Terror: Post Modern Elements of the Contemporary Horror Film', she suggest that, 'The universe of the contemporary horror film is an uncertain one in which good and evil, normality and abnormality, reality and illusion are virtually indistinguishable,' (Pinedo.C. 2016) and though her work refers to film, these signifiers are prevalent in the TV series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. Buffy in particular, and the nature of serial television itself, offering a unique opportunity for postmodernism to flourish, through overarching and overlapping plots and subplots.
'Buffy The Vampire Slayer,' a serial supernatural TV drama that ran for a total of 7 series, first aired, March 10, 1997. The narrative follows Buffy Summers, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, who finds herself becoming the latest in a line of female "Vampire Slayers". These "slayers" are chosen to battle against a host of vampires, demons and other forces of darkness. Even the very base narrative of the show, the idea that the "slayer" is played by a female, is in itself a postmodernist subversion of a role, which according to the authority of canonised literature, is a role to assign to men. Centring upon the life of high school teenager Buffy, presents the viewer with the familiar narrative of the trials of coming of age, however, set in an entirely unfamiliar world of supernatural powers and entities. Again displaying contemporary significance, the role of postmodernism here is to, as mentioned 'hold a mirror' to the fears of society, but to also demonstrate content that is relatable to a viewer. Therefore, one of the most blatant examples of postmodernism is the real-life challenges of an adolescent girl, in the entirely fantastical world, we find her in. Throughout the course of the shows run Buffy encounters a whole host of 'monsters.' To understand this relationship in-regards to postmodernism, the idea of monstrosity must first be categorised. Which in simple terms would be, the understanding of evil. In classic horrors, such as Bram Stokers Dracula, the line between good and evil is clearer, a reader provided with a distinction between them. "There is no life in this body. I am nothing, lifeless, soulless, hated and feared. I am dead to all the world – hear me! I am the monster that breathing men would kill. I am Dracula."(Stoker.B. 1897) In this extract Dracula is used to comfort to the readers fear of their own monstrous potential, he is 'soulless', and therefore separated from "breathing men," becoming disjointed from the masses and placed in a category of the 'other'. Where Buffy, and postmodernist theory differ from classic literature, in the context of this genre, is within the blurring of lines between good and evil, dissections which have become a source of comfort and security. These transgressive tendencies problematise the idea of "Grand Narrative" dichotomies, in Buffy's universe the 'monsters' are able to redeem themselves, unlike the monsters of classics. Buffy herself, toeing the line between good and evil, in fact, most of the characters exhibit both traits of the monster and the hero. Therefore the series toys with the inner monster, the anxieties of what lurks beneath, and in a society that leaps from one technological advancement to the other, humanity has been shown what monstrous potential it harbours, with wars and with weaponisation. As a result, though Buffy commentates more so on a personal level of potential, its contemporary relevance is the anxiety of the 'what if?'
In the sixth season, this is perhaps most blatant, following her resurrection and expulsion from the heavenly dimension, Buffy faces an extisential crisis, resulting in apathy and depression, forcing her to retreat from those around her. All whilst finding herself the sole provider for a sibling, trapped in a minimum wage job and losing sight of her identity. Experiences which apply to very real-world issues, yet backdropped against the impossible notion of resurrection, and supernatural interference, consequently not real world, yet somehow plausible. This is the backstory which the episode "Normal Again" is set. In previous seasons Buffy has faced an almost 'ultimate monster,' a Master Vampire (season 1), Frankensteins Creation (season 4), yet in this episode, Buffy faces a very different enemy. Stung with poison by a demon summoned by new 'ultimate monster' The Trio, causes Buffy's mind to alternate between two realities; the Buffyverse (the reality in which the show has been set thus far) and an alternate reality which resembles our own. In the latter, Buffy is informed she has resided in a mental institution for the last 6 years, and that the life of 'Slayer' has been the product of her schizophrenic mind. The challenge for Buffy this episode is to deiced of which reality she belongs to, initially choosing to destroy the Buffyverse in favour of the alternative reality. This is due to the apparent comfort found in this world, that sees her back with her family. Looking at this with a postmodern perspective, this choice to remain with what is deemed as a 'normal life' would mean Buffy making the choice to adhere to what is a 'Grand Narrative'. Buffy then experiences shock as she is sent back to the Buffyverse despite her decision and in reaction acts violently towards her friends and family, which, again forces her to return to the alternate reality, where her mother is still alive. Strengthened by the encouragement she receives from her mother, she returns to the Buffyverse to save the day again as the 'Slayer'. In true postmodernist style, the episode closes with a shot of a catatonic Buffy laid in the mental institution in the 'other reality'. Forcing viewers to question what world truly was the 'real one.' Did Buffy make the right decision? Or was there was one right or wrong choice at all, perhaps both existing simultaneously. As Stuart Sim explains in his study into Postmodernism "In the realm of the hyperreal, the 'real' and the imaginary continually implode into one another." (Sim.S. 2001). Thus Buffy's confusion is representative of the overload of visual stimuli which increasingly means reality or a greater truth is harder to identify. Though of course dramatised for television purposes, this idea of reality distortion is a very contemporary point of contention and one which postmodernism comments upon. In an increasingly digitised world, the perception of 'truth' is somewhat distorted, "Time present and time past Are both perhaps in time future And time future contained in time past" (Eliot.T.S. 1909-1962) perhaps best illustrated through these words by T.S Eliot, postmodernism unseats the stringency of fixed time. 'The formally fixed centre of our present from which we could look back and view the past or peer forward into the future, has been dislodged.'( (Southgate.B. 2003) 'Normal Again' as an episode alone, plays upon time distortion, ironically on a television, which in is a significant contributor to the distortion of time. What with the idea that one can watch the TV and travel to 4 different countries within the hour, building up ideas of places and spaces, that have never been physically visited, yet recognisable instantly.
The 'Normal Again' episode also serves to highlight the complexity of the presentation of 'Monsters' in the Buffy universe, and through the words of Buffy's 'doctor' who attempts to ground, or place Buffy within the 'realistic' world permanently. 'And your enemies — look at them. You used to create grand villains to battle against. And now what is it? Just ordinary people you went to high school with. Not gods or monsters. Just three pathetic little men who like to play with toys.' (Gutierrez.D. 2002)(referring to The Trio). The Doctor is playing on the apparent implausibility of the Buffyverse and compares it directly to what is perceived as the 'normalised' setting. This commentary upon on the season's main villains forces viewers to question the validity of Buffy's pursuits up until this point. An important notion is being established here, monstrosity in the Buffyverse is not exclusive to the non-human, or the 'others', but also the characters we deem as on the side of good. The moral ambiguity of the characters, both major and minor, continuously shift, meaning the established grand narrative of the humans as the 'good', monsters as the 'bad' are completely undermined. The Trio, who are humans, carry out some of the most monstrous acts of the series including, attempted rape and murder (ep. Dead Things), and the eventual murder of a main character (ep. Seeing Red), but it is their humanity that makes the perhaps the most horrific of foes. These three, very stereotypical looking characters, where specially made to be the same age as the average viewer, and these choices display traits of postmodernity. In the sense that they are relatable (in appearance and age), and break down the boundary between text and audience.
To conclude, when considering whether these theories of postmodernity in-regards-to 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer,' contain contemporary significance, the simple answer is yes. Though, undeniably, Buffy's world is centric to a Westernised world viewpoint, which is in itself a weakness of postmodernist thought, this case study remains firmly relevant. From the idea of distorted reality, the undermining of grand narratives, and the idea of monstrous potential Buffy plays upon one's own fears. As a television series, through layers of pastiche, subversion and referential narratives, Buffy helps to illustrate real world issues highlighted and defined through postmodern theory.