A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls - By Red Page 0,1

gray, driven by a twisted sense of duty or humbled (however briefly) in the face of those they have caused so much pain. As Mary Borsellino points out in her essay, a lot of what drives everyone on both sides of the vampire/antivampire fight is as simple as the wish to protect their own from a genuine threat. By the end of the first season, it’s Bonnie Bennett—Elena’s loyal best friend turned powerful witch—who has come to personify this dichotomy. Though she’s inherited her role as protector of the town, she occupies it fully, and not even friendship can stop her from doing what she feels is right.

A lot of people think they’re “right” in Mystic Falls. And that’s why a lot of people die.

It’s also why the relationships on the show are so complex.

The issues between Stefan and Damon alone could provide more than enough entertainment week to week. But almost 6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 11

8/27/10 10:36 AM

xii

• A V i s i t o r ’ s G u i d e t o M y s t i c F a l l s •

every pair of characters you can think of has a particular dynamic worth exploring. Sarah Rees Brennan looks at Elena’s with Stefan and Damon, and uses it as a springboard for considering the relationships between humans and vampires, and males and females, in the show as a whole. It’s a subject Jon Skovron picks up on, when he presents The Vampire Diaries as the latest battleground for the struggle between male and female vampires in pop culture. After all, The Vampire Diaries is but the most recent vampire tale to grace our screens; it’s only natural to compare it to what came before.

As such, you’ll find a lot of references to other vampire media on the following pages, ranging from old favorites such as Polidori’s “The Vampyre” and Stoker’s Dracula, to more beloved modern fare like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Ultimately, what all of these essays have in common is that they highlight how The Vampire Diaries is not just another teenage vampire show. It’s so much more than that, with unexpected depth, an intricate plot, and a town instilled with a mythology that fascinates and engages.

When Smart Pop’s Leah Wilson approached us about editing a book of essays centered around The Vampire Diaries TV series, we didn’t wonder if a show in its first season could sustain an entire volume; we wondered if twelve essays could possibly be enough to encompass everything thrown at us each week. As the anthology progressed, it became clear that this was the case, as more themes and subjects came to light and the phrase “we can include this next time” was bandied back and forth. For a show on a small network with a young 6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 12

8/27/10 10:36 AM

• I n t r o d u c t i o n •

xiii

target audience, The Vampire Diaries continually astounds us with its complexity and fearlessness.

Maybe some of these essays will resonate with you, or perhaps you’ll find yourself shaking your head in disagreement with others. Either way we hope not only that you will enjoy reading what The Vampire Diaries has inspired these authors to write about, but also that they might well set the gears turning in your own mind and help you explore the themes within this TV series in even greater depth.

6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 13

8/27/10 10:36 AM

6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 14

8/27/10 10:36 AM

A Visitor’s Guide to

Mystic Falls

6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 15

8/27/10 10:36 AM

6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 16

8/27/10 10:36 AM

Women Who Love Vampires

Who Eat Women

gender dynamics and

interspecies dating in mystic falls

• Sarah Rees Brennan •

The nutshell summary of The Vampires Diaries—a human girl torn between two vampire brothers—belies the complicated dynamics at work amongst the varied citizens of Mystic Falls, both male and female and human and vampire. Sarah Rees Brennan explores what distinguishes Elena Gilbert within a sea of vampire media heroines, her complicated relationships with her friends and the Salvatore brothers, and laments a disturbing trend amongst the vampire ladies of Mystic Falls.

1

6882 Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls[FIN].indd 1

8/27/10 10:36 AM

Buffy Summers and Bella Swan. What do they have in common? I know, they have the same initials. Isn’t that weird?

Oh, and they both date vampires.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer first aired in 1997, and Twilight was published in 2005. But in 1991, before these fanged giants appeared on