what does "the soul" do in the Buffyverse?

Here's proof that new blog is not entirely serious. Not that there aren't plenty of people who try to take Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and Angel) seriously. I think that's all right -- I was *really* upset about the death of a major character in season 6 -- as long as people realize it doesn't have to be taken seriously, and probably shouldn't be most of the time.

But I do have a question that might be serious to those who love the show and its universe. Joss Whedon fits into a group of writers who I've started thinking of as "the new gnostics." This label seems appropriate because all these writers, who usually lack a clear religious identity, seem to return to the topics of God, good and evil, heaven and earth, again and again. Through most of literary history this wouldn't be so notable -- these used to be standard topics -- but "the new gnostics" are distinct because 1) they are mostly ignored by a "legitimate" literary community that has mostly ignored these topics, 2) they tend to use nontraditional forms or work in nontraditional genres and 3) their visions, while bearing some resemblence to gnosticism or romanticism, seem strikingly original. My running list would be Whedon, Terry Prachett, Neil Gaiman (both his novels and Sandman), Phillip Pullman and James Morrow. Ray Bradbury might be an avuncular figure. Orson Scott Card could be included depending on how important you consider his Mormonism. And I'm sure the list could go on (though I would *not* include Dan Brown, hmph).

So what are the gnostic features of Whedon's Buffy? They are similar to many of those presented by many of the authors: absolute authority, even when instituted in the name of good, tends to corrupt absolutely; God is hopelessly distant, but religion still matters; entry-level angels and demons have more in common with each other than their employers; there is some sort of heaven and some sort of hell, but the government of either is about as well organized as the Earth's; sin may exist, but unrelenting guilt is a weapon of primal evil; gender often plays a role -- particularly in Buffy, where our heroine often fights against the restraints of the Old (Mostly) Boys Club of the Watchers' Council.

You would think that a show with such interesting ideas about every other aspect of religion would come up with a new way of thinking about the soul. But unfortunately, the soul in the Buffyverse is little more than a prop. Some background: the first time the soul is important on the show is when we meet Angel, "the vampire with a soul." From his storyline we learn that 1) vampires are demons inhabiting human bodies and minds, 2) vampires have no souls but 3) these souls continue to exist somewhere and can be restored through extraordinary magic (like a gypsy curse). What are the qualities of this soul? Clearly not personality or intelligence, which vampires retain after the soul leaves (that is, they retain the memories and superficial traits of their bodies... whether it is really "them" is another legitimate question about the show). But we do find out that the soul is what gives someone a conscience. When Angel regains his soul in the 19th century, he goes mad for decades and is left with a permanent "broody" character.

So we know that a "soul" in the Buffyverse is something like a conscience. We also know that human beings can survive without one -- one episode of Angel features a possessed boy who had no soul before the demon took him, and suggests that a person without a soul is some kind of abomination. But there are a few problems with this. The first is demons themselves. There are all sorts of varieties of demons in the Buffyverse. Some of them are quite polite, and a few are heroic. But it would seem that according to the rules of this world, they can't have souls. This is further complicated by the question of Anya, a character from the latter half of Buffy. Anya is a vengeance demon who usually takes human form and leaves her demon "essence" outside her body somewhere. The "essence" is destroyed, so Anya is stuck in the body of a teenager. So does this mean Anya has a soul? While she is not the nicest person in the world, she seems to have some sort of conscience, certainly more than soulless boy in "Angel."

(season 6 & 7 spoiler follows... beware)

The final problem is Spike, the once-vicioius vampire whose violent habits have been curtailed by a government chip in his brain. Throughout season six, the scripts constantly suggest that Spike and Anya are in the same metaphysical condition -- they both feel evil is natural but impossible in their situation, and they are troubled by "pangs of good." These feelings are usually motivated by love toward another character -- Anya for Xander, Spike for Buffy. Both of these romances end rather violenty, and it might be that we should infer that a soul is necessary for true love. Spike certainly thinks so, because he travels all the way around the world to get one. Yet Spike's transformation once he is "soulified" is not nearly as traumatic as Angel's. Sure, Spike is crazy for a while, but we don't even know if it's his soul or The First talking (The First Evil, which cannot take corporeal form but can appear as any deceased person -- she works on Angel too). And he certainly doesn't show the radical change in personality that Angel does when he becomes evil. So are we meant to understand that Angel and Spike simply have different personalities? And what's the deal with soulified Spike saving the world in the end? And why, if he met such a righteous end, does it make sense for Spike to come back as a ghost?

I'm not sure if any of this matters outside fanboyland, but I guess to sum up, I would have a few questions for Joss Whedon about the soul: what exactly is it, and what does it do? Was "the soul" just a prop on Buffy/Angel, or does he actually want to make statements about it, as he did with good and evil, family, loyalty, gender, etc.? Finally, was the ambiguity around the soul *intentional*, or are they are still thwacking their heads about the plot inconsistencies. Let's hope Joss has better things to do than think about this stuff. :-)