Much of the critical attention given to BtVS focuses on the violence in the series. Mimi Marinucci, writing in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy, notes "Buffy's use of violence is depicted […] as the ultimate expression of her superheroic nature" and that Buffy is "a woman empowered by the weapon of violence" (67, 69). Similarly, France Early and Kathleen Kennedy state in Athena's Daughters that the new woman warrior "was not restricted in how she used her body or her weapons" (5). In Tough Girls: Women Warriors and Wonder Women in Popular Culture, Sherri Inness remarks "bearing weapons signifies toughness for women, just as it does for men" (111).

While critics such as the ones cited above refer to Buffy's use of weapons, little has been done regarding the weapons themselves. Overbey and Preston-Matto provide an interesting analysis of language in which speech acts are "weapons, as vital as crossbows and spinning roundhouse kicks" (74). But, David West finds fault with how Buffy delivers those same roundhouse kicks. Other critics focus on knowledge, especially related to Giles, as a weapon; and Willow's magic is seen as both charming and as a destructive weapon. However, to date, the physical weapons have received little attention, with the exception of phallic ramifications of "Mr. Pointy."

Borrowing from Marinucci's statement, my intention is to show that Buffy is empowered by the weapons of violence, by her Weapons of Monster Destruction. I intend to catalog the different weapons, but more importantly, I will discuss how the presence, use, and changing nature of those items are an essential part of who and what Buffy is. Given the vast array of weapons used by the large cast of characters, my discussion will be limited, at this time at least, to Buffy alone.

Possible AV equipment: overhead projector