Edited Collection on Music in the Whedonverse

Call for Papers: Music in the Whedonverse (collection)

From bands at The Bronze in Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Angel singing karaoke at Caritas to the traditional-style fiddling and guitar playing in Firefly, music is an integral part of Joss Whedon's universes. This collection seeks essays from both established and emerging scholars on the uses of and contributions made by music in the Whedonverse.


Discipline-specific and interdisciplinary views are encouraged to address issues of power, relationships, identity, gender, communication, religion, multiculturalism, sanity and madness, and other topics present in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Serenity.



Topics might include, but are not limited to:

Music and performance

Gender/identity/race and music (including traditional identity topics as
well as those of non-human characters)

Genre representations

Scoring for action sequences

Music and communication

Musical characterization

Music and camp

Music and transformation

Character vocality

The use of silence and music in unique ways

Levels and mixing of diegesis and non-diegesis


The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2008. The collection will be published by Scarecrow Press with an anticipated publication date in 2009.

Essays should be between 7,000 and 9,000 words and follow Chicago Manual of Style format. Only electronic submissions sent in a .doc (Word) formats will be accepted. Authors are encouraged to include photographs, but will be responsible for acquiring all materials and permission for use. Please send a cover letter including the title of the essay, an abstract of not
more than 200 words, an author c.v, and author biography of not more than 100 words along with the complete blind essay (author's name should not appear) to Kendra Preston Leonard at caennen_at_gmail.com.