Genres operate as each succeeding author copies the past (to the extent that his/her work can be viewed as existing within the genre) while at the same time creating something new and different that pushes the genre forward. Often, in an enthusiasm for the latter, the former is neglected. Joss Whedon's reliance upon the past is most evident in his construction of the Buffy universe using elements drawn from the novel Dracula, Lovecraft's Cthulu Mythos, and the early 90s television drama, Forever Knight.