"Fear Itself" as a Progenitive and Progressive Text

Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto combines romanticism and modernisms to capture the complex gothic imagination of the eighteenth century. This text breaks free from the status quo and attempts to propose alternative avenues of thought that stray from the conventional realms of philosophy and religion. Similarly, Whedon’s Buffy marries modernism, postmodernism, and antiquity to make a new gothic landscape of interpretation. Buffy captures the twenty-first century struggle of seeking alternative explanations that deviate from the all too static rational and scientific means of understanding. “Fear Itself” exemplifies this union of genres as well as the intent to use the supernatural as a mode of enlightenment.

Many of the characters have fears that they are unable to grasp and face through rational processes. For example, Joyce fears making new friends and trusting people, Buffy fears that she is inadequate of Parker’s attention and that she won’t be able to protect her friends, and Xander fears that he no longer has a place in the Scooby Gang. While not by choice, these characters find understanding of these doubts through supernatural circumstances in the haunted house. These aforementioned characters’ fears are “classical” in nature, and therefore ground the text in antiquated tradition that creates an acceptable foundation for the supernatural to flourish from.

With that being said, some of the characters have supernatural fears, such as Willow who is afraid of being a weak witch and Oz who is afraid of transforming into his werewolf state. Not surprisingly, they too learn through a supernatural avenue that fear is in the mind and should not be given unbridled control. The fact that these fears are not classical speaks to the following step in the progression of using the supernatural as an accepted channel for gaining understanding. That is to say, in Sunnydale, and arguably modern society, the supernatural no longer needs classical ties to assert validity. Still, it should be noted that Willow does use classical motifs in other ways in this episode. For example, she dresses as Joan of Arc for Halloween and playfully calls her werewolf boyfriend Brutus.

Thus, Buffy and The Castle of Otranto combine multiple genres and advocate for the supernatural as an alternative method of understanding complex issues within individuals and society. Both texts come at respective times in history when common ideology is too restricting for comfort. Moreover, “Fear Itself,” through its commonplace acceptance of the supernatural, not only seeks to build off classical traditions but also works hard to establish the supernatural in its own right as a distinct channel of thought.