Convents, Claddagh rings, and Even The Book of Kells: Representing the Irish in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Abstract

After a brief overview of theoretical approaches to the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer , this article relies on postcolonial theory to analyze the portrayal of the Irish vampire Angel in Buffy , as well as his rivalry with the English vampire Spike. Beginning in the twelfth century, the Anglo-Norman conquerors of Ireland had relied on stereotypes of the Irish in order to justify governance of them. Introduced in Season 1 of Buffy , the vampire Angel embodies the major cultural stereotypes used by English colonizers to represent their Irish conquests. The English vampire Spike, introduced in Season 2, also embodies various cultural stereotypes of the English. The subsequent rivalry between Angel and Spike draws on aspects of the Celt/Saxon dichotomy, which was developed during the Victorian era at the height of British colonization to reinforce British claims to power.