Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation

by Chris Turner

Book Overview

D'oh-it's "The Simpsons." And here's the book with the behind-the-scenes story of how America's favorite nuclear family first arrived at a TV near you, how the series grew into a worldwide icon, and who brings it to life so brilliantly week after week, year after year. Since first airing in 1987 as a cartoon interlude on the short-lived "Tracey Ullman Show," "The Simpsons" has deliciously skewered the foibles of American life, evolving into a cultural...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 030681448X
• ISBN13: 9780306814488
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 450 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.9" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Hurrah! Intelligent life on TV

If you like the Simpsons and appreciate it's humanistic, smart, hip, culturally knowledgable view of the world, then you'll love this book. If you are a disgruntled liberal-hating conservative with no sense of irony and the attention-span of a goldfish, then stay away - you'll hate it and will probably only give it one star. A witty intelligent look at the culture and a must-read for hardcore fans.

Pop Culture and The Simpsons - Great Book with Semi-Serious Undertones

Perfect book that reflects on the seemingly symbiotic relationship between pop culture and The Simpsons. The author reviews the various characters and situations from the show which reflect the issues of the day in many surprising ways. It gives a view on The Simpsons that most basic viewers never notice. The Simpsons is a lot deeper than you'd imagine and more intricate than only one viewing can show you. Adn in turn, as 'The Simpsons' were a reflection of society, society is increasingly a partial reflection of 'The Simpsons'. Within the pages of this book you can really see how much 'The Simpsons' is a perfect , albeit odd, view of today's realities. The book shows how 'The Simpsons' is a smart show that's funny for everyone from dumb to Einstein. (And based on that bit of horrible English, I'm moving towards the former)Definitely a great pick for a serious Simpsons Fan. Now if they would just hurry and make that movie they've always talked about...

Insert your favorite Simpsons catchphrase here.

Subtitled "How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation", Planet Simpson is an in-depth study of Fox's best and longest-running show by Chris Turner, a Canadian pop-culture writer who's also an unabashed fan of the show. Turner argues that The Simpsons has become the shared text of a generation of television viewers world-wide, its free-ranging satire of American culture its Bible, its Iliad, its Mahabharata. In chapters on the members of the Simpson family, on Mr. Burns as representative of corporate culture, on celebrity guest appearances, and on the show's treatment of foreign countries, and on its Internet presence, he celebrates the show's critique of corporate business, globalization, and all manner of authorities--religious, political, and familial. In between his discussions of Homer as Everyman and Lisa as representative of the show creators' liberal politics, he dots the book with fascinating footnotes that reference couch gags and Bart's blackboard scribbles, guest appearances and alt.tv.simpsons trivia. He includes a heartfelt tribute to the voice work of the late Phil Hartman as the show's Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure that ends, tellingly, "You will not remember him from such films as Jingle All the Way and Small Soldiers. You'll remember him as Lionel Hutz and Lyle Lanley and especially Troy McClure. And that is more than enough." I don't completely agree with Turner's analysis of the show, but he's a good writer who writes with precision and clarity about a topic on which he's passionate, and I *do* agree with him that The Simpsons is one of the finest products of television in the last fifteen years. If you have any interest in the show or in pop culture generally, I recommend this book.

Get a PHD in the Simpsons

Back when I was in grade school I could never understand why the teacher insisted that we hunt for 'hidden meaning' in stories. I thought I was a 'thicky' because I just enjoyed the story as written. The I grew up a bit and realized that the "Looney Toons" cartoons were written at two levels - one for kids one for adults ( a lecture by Chuck jones helped me realize the extent of this hidden humour). Now that I'm in my mid-forties I see hidden meaning in everything - mainly because I've made enough revolutions around the sun to get enough life experience and exposure to books, tv and travel to even recognize satire. This book is not a fawning ode to the show, but a very well written look at the show in the context of pop culture, politics, television history and a large number of other areas of our culture. I've always loved the show from it's beginnings on the Tracy Ullman Show, and I remember my dad insisting that my half brothers could not watch the show becuase it was a 'bad influence' (yet they could watch Ren & Stimpy - go figure). I bought some merchandise from the show, but more than that, I have enjoyed many a conversation with peers about the 'stuff' jammed into the show much as Sienfeld fans used to disect each episode in the 90's. After reading this book I have a deeper appreciation for the more subtle material presented by the show over the years, and while I thought that i had spotted most of the cultural references, i realize now that there was a lot of stuff that was slipping under (or over) my radar. This is not a book for someone looking for an episode guide. This book is like a thesis that someone would write to get their PHD in media studies. It's well organized, very well written and entertaining for anyone who laughed at all the stuff that the censors missed. Sadly, I also realize that I'm more like the 'Comic Book Guy" than I would like, but hell, there's worst things in life. I couldn't put this book down, and I, like the author, realize that this TV show would never be made in todays TV and political environment. This series is no 'Flintstones'. I doft my hat to Chris Turner for writing the definitve analysis of this remarkable TV series.

Justifies my love

If you ever felt the slightest hint of guilt that your love of the Simpsons - in the face of a partner's misgivings about your love of a 'cartoon' - hand them this book and ask them to start reading. Covering some characters in depth and the show as a whole as part of society, this is a book that does some real justice to the intelligence that sits behind the Simpsons as an institution and a part of pop culture itself. Aligning itself with the issues of modern societies 'existiental angst', religion, faith, the individual, modern corporations and globalisation and so on and so on, this book brings forth an educational experience as well as ensuring the reader is never bored before too long with another quote or snippet from the show itself. For a book that covers a broad spectrum of societal issues, this has got to be one of the most enjoyable 450 pages I've read in a long time. Fantastic.