Ambiguity and sexuality in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A Sartrean analysis

This article presents a phenomenological, Sartrean
analysis of sexual relationships as portrayed in the cult TV series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS). I argue that, through an
examination of the differences between vampire and human
characters in relationship, we gain an appreciation of the
ambiguity of human sexuality as it is experienced. Through the
narrative device of sexual relationships between human and
vampire characters, BtVS offers a representation that potentially
subverts current ideologies of love and sexuality. In addition,
BtVS makes visible, although does not explicitly endorse, sadomasochistic
sexual practices.