Joss Whedon Pitches to Eidolon
re: Pitch
“When I was running ‘Buffy,’ I was surrounded by beautiful, needy, aggressive women. It felt like I had a disease, like something from a Greek myth. Suddenly I am a powerful producer and the world is laid out at my feet and I can’t touch it.”
-alleged letter from Joss Whedon to his ex-wife, Kai Cole
Dear Joss (if I may),
Thank you for proposing a comparison between y0ur situation as director of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Greek myth. Unfortunately, the comparison you suggest is much too vague: ‘Greek myth’ is a rich, multifaceted, self-contradictory tapestry of stories where men use their power and status to sexually abuse women, and I’m just not sure which myth in particular you have in mind here.
If you wanted to pursue this article, I’d suggest a personal essay delving into a comparison with one specific myth. May I suggest the story of Zeus and Callisto? I think you’ll find it quite evocative for this situation, particularly considering how Zeus disguised himself as Artemis so Callisto would not be suspicious until it was too late to stop the assault. I think there are powerful resonances there with your own performative displays of feminism. We’d be happy to read a draft anytime, or never.
Best wishes,
The Eidolon editorial team
Donna Zuckerberg ships Buffy/Spike, because feminism is complicated.
