Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      vii
Preface      1
Introduction      9

1. “She’s Not All Grown Yet”: Willow Rosenberg as Hybrid, Hero and Middle Child of the Scooby Family      25
2. “This Carpenter Can Drywall You into the Next Century”: Xander Harris as Hero, Big Brother and Male-In-Progress      44
3. What It Feels Like for a Slayer: Buffy Summers and the Paradox of Mothering      67
4. “Daddy’s Home—I’m in Real Trouble Now”: Fathers Who Watch in Buffy and Angel      89
5. Demonic Maternities, Complex Motherhoods: Cordelia, Fred and the Puzzle of Illyria      112
6. Buffy, Angel and the Ivory Tower: Open and Closed Family Systems      134

Afterword. Families Beyond Buffy (or Firefly, and Everything After)      156
Notes      167
Bibliography      181
Index      187