Buffy vs. Her Dreams

Laura Kessenich returns to Watcher Junior with “‘I’m beginning to understand this now’: Explicating Restless”. This article uses Jungian dream analysis to examine Willow, Xander, Giles and Buffy’s dreams in the season four finale. Kessenich takes the reader through the basics of Jung’s theories, providing concise explanations of the role of dreams, the collective unconscious, the Self, the shadow and the animus and anima in us all. Next, she provides a very detailed reading of each dream, one which is distinctly different from the literary analyses of Rhonda Wilcox and Matthew Pateman. What role does Tara play in Willow’s dream? Why can’t Xander sit still in his dream? Why is Giles obsessed with time? How is Buffy prepared for the darkness of the last three seasons in her dream? Share your speculations and provide feedback in the comments below.

Finally, as editor, I’d like to thank our publisher, the Whedon Studies Association, for the opportunity that this publication offers these writers. There’s very few publishing outlets for academic writing by undergraduates, and virtually none for undergraduates in the arts and humanities. In addition, I’d like to thank Kristen Romanelli, our web editor. Lauren Schumacher’s article shines in the online format. Laura Kessenich’s piece would have to be chopped down to a tenth of its size to make it into print or she’d have to get a book deal. All of these pieces needed both the Whedon Studies people and Kristen to find their audience.