Post by vandergraafk on May 15, 2008 13:14:23 GMT -5
Among media mavens and critics, the notion was long bandied about that Charmed stood for "grrrrl power". I suppose the idea that three powerful sister witches who were sassy and kicked demon butt every week for eight seasons is evidence aplenty that the girls rocked. Or, did they? Do Charlie's Angels evince "grrrl power" simply because they made great cops? To what extent did they shape their own purpose, decide their own methods and master what they chose to learn? Suppose we posed these same questions to the Charmed Ones? What would our responses be?
As a starting point, I am appropriating an essay that appeared in a Reading the Vampire Slayer edited by Roz Kaveney. It's author - Jane Zoe Playden - surveyed the landscape of feminist theory and tangentially at least applied this to Buffy. Whether Buffy the Vampire Slayer ever consciously addressed any of feminist theory's concerns is intriguing, but hardly relevant, if one wish to explore feminist theory as it relates to male-female relationships and the notion of agency.
In the event, when the Charmed Ones, specifically, Phoebe discover the Book of Shadows, they do so as innocents. That is, they had no idea that such a book existed. Nor were they aware of their own genetic predisposition towards witchcraft as defined in Charmedverse. Once the book has been opened, the incantation read, and the elements properly aligned, the sisters acquire their powers. The process of self-realization has begun.
This process occurs almost in a void. Their only guidance comes from the collected wisdom contained in the Book of Shadows and the warning contained therein as well. That is, their powers will grow, but evil will attack with ever greater ferocity and frequency. Opening the book, thus, has broadened their horizons, provided them with greater abilities to shape their world, but also exposed them to great risk.
No living (female) relative can provide assistance. The sisters are unaware initially that Grams is watching over them and occasionally turns the pages to a helpful entry. They do not know how to summon past spirits. Father is absent. The only other male figures - Jeremy and Roger - seek either to steal their abilities or misappropriate them for their own male glory.
Alas, the entrance of Leo, a (male) whitelighter, foreshadows a change that lies ahead. When he is outed by Phoebe, we get an inkling that there is structure beyond the Charmed Ones. This superstructure is "manned" by the Elders, a group of mostly male magical creatures who monitor, manipulate and maintain order. That their attempts to maintain order will conflict with Piper's desire to marry Leo or their desire to forge their own path when confronting Eames lies in the far distant future (Season 3) when looked at from such modest beginnings.
Thus, we are introduced to the Charmed Ones as self-reliant witches who use the Book of Shadows as a source for inspiration on occasion and wisdom with respect to unknown opponents, but mainly rely on their own wits. The limitations of such received knowledge is already depicted in the premier episode when Jeremy cannot be stopped by the bobbit incantation that Phoebe believes is the solution, a solution she has appropriated from the Book of Shadows. Only when the sisters chance upon the "Power of Three" incantation, derived from a cryptic comment on the back of the family ouija board, do the Charmed Ones find a way to thwart Jeremy.
So far so good - from the vantage point of feminist theory. Did Charmed betray its origins?
As a starting point, I am appropriating an essay that appeared in a Reading the Vampire Slayer edited by Roz Kaveney. It's author - Jane Zoe Playden - surveyed the landscape of feminist theory and tangentially at least applied this to Buffy. Whether Buffy the Vampire Slayer ever consciously addressed any of feminist theory's concerns is intriguing, but hardly relevant, if one wish to explore feminist theory as it relates to male-female relationships and the notion of agency.
In the event, when the Charmed Ones, specifically, Phoebe discover the Book of Shadows, they do so as innocents. That is, they had no idea that such a book existed. Nor were they aware of their own genetic predisposition towards witchcraft as defined in Charmedverse. Once the book has been opened, the incantation read, and the elements properly aligned, the sisters acquire their powers. The process of self-realization has begun.
This process occurs almost in a void. Their only guidance comes from the collected wisdom contained in the Book of Shadows and the warning contained therein as well. That is, their powers will grow, but evil will attack with ever greater ferocity and frequency. Opening the book, thus, has broadened their horizons, provided them with greater abilities to shape their world, but also exposed them to great risk.
No living (female) relative can provide assistance. The sisters are unaware initially that Grams is watching over them and occasionally turns the pages to a helpful entry. They do not know how to summon past spirits. Father is absent. The only other male figures - Jeremy and Roger - seek either to steal their abilities or misappropriate them for their own male glory.
Alas, the entrance of Leo, a (male) whitelighter, foreshadows a change that lies ahead. When he is outed by Phoebe, we get an inkling that there is structure beyond the Charmed Ones. This superstructure is "manned" by the Elders, a group of mostly male magical creatures who monitor, manipulate and maintain order. That their attempts to maintain order will conflict with Piper's desire to marry Leo or their desire to forge their own path when confronting Eames lies in the far distant future (Season 3) when looked at from such modest beginnings.
Thus, we are introduced to the Charmed Ones as self-reliant witches who use the Book of Shadows as a source for inspiration on occasion and wisdom with respect to unknown opponents, but mainly rely on their own wits. The limitations of such received knowledge is already depicted in the premier episode when Jeremy cannot be stopped by the bobbit incantation that Phoebe believes is the solution, a solution she has appropriated from the Book of Shadows. Only when the sisters chance upon the "Power of Three" incantation, derived from a cryptic comment on the back of the family ouija board, do the Charmed Ones find a way to thwart Jeremy.
So far so good - from the vantage point of feminist theory. Did Charmed betray its origins?