Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional CultureJohn Alberti A study of the landmark television program The Simpsons which focuses on the show's dual roles as subversive political satire and mainstream mass media hit. Since its first appearance as a series of cartoon vignettes in 1987 and its debut as a weekly program in 1990, The Simpsons has had multiple, even contradictory, media identities. Although the show has featured biting political and social satire, which often proves fatal to mass public acceptance, The Simpsons entered fully into the mainstream, consistently earning high ratings from audiences and critics alike. Leaving Springfield addresses the success of The Simpsons as a corporate-manufactured show that openly and self-reflexively parodies the very consumer capitalism it simultaneously promotes. By exploring such topics as the impact of the show's satire on its diverse viewing public and the position of The Simpsons in sitcom and television animation history, the commentators develop insights into the ways parody intermixes with mass media to critique post modern society. In spite of the longevity and high cultural profile of the show, The Simpsons has so far attracted only scattered academic attention. Leaving Springfield will be of importance to both scholars of media and fans of the show interested in the function of satire in popular culture in general and television in particular. |
Contents
The Simpsons and the Threat | 1 |
Mr Bennett Bart Simpson | 29 |
1 | 58 |
Learning Irony with The Simpsons | 85 |
Homer Simpson As Everyman | 107 |
Who Wants Candy? Disenchantment in The Simpsons | 137 |
Oppositionality and | 169 |
Ideological Fault Lines in The Simpsons | 172 |
Gay Life on The Simpsons | 225 |
The Simpsons As AntiNuclear Satire | 244 |
Ethnic Stereotyping | 273 |
Prince of Irreverence | 292 |
List of Episodes Cited | 303 |
The Simpsons Complete Episode Guide Seasons 113 | 309 |
About the Contributors | 327 |
Common terms and phrases
References to this book
Watching with The Simpsons: Television, Parody, and Intertextuality Jonathan Gray Limited preview - 2006 |