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Leaving
Springfield
'The Simpsons' and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture
Edited by John Alberti |
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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.
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"Authoritative
voices speaking from various well-informed critical perspectives provide
Leaving Springfield with
rewards for scholars and Simpsons fans
alike. Framed more coherently than most collections of television criticism,
this volume makes a persuasive case for the series as an act of cultural resistance.
Accessible language and detailed textual analysis lend the volume strong student
appeal. Devotees will appreciate the close scrutiny of key episodes and intimate
knowledge of the series that characterize these essays."
— Caren Deming, University of Arizona
John Alberti is Associate Professor of English at Northern
Kentucky University.
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