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Planet Simpson
How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation
Chris Turner
Read by Oliver Wyman
As entertaining, insightful, and thought-provoking as the show that inspired it, an examination of The Simpsons as an illustration—andinspiration—of America today.
In one memorable The Simpsons moment, Homer laughs hysterically at a standup comic, pausing only to gasp, "It's true—we're so lame!" In a sense, that author Chris Turner's main thesis: Over the last fiftenn years, The Simpsons has chronicled the absurdities and the defining events of an increasingly confusing culture. At the same time, Turner suggests, the show has transcended being just a cartoon and has had a profound and lasting influence, defining attitudes toward everything from pop culture to global politics.
This extremely funny examination of hte 18-time Emmy-winning show uses individual characters to define different facets of the American personality: Home is the slgihtly doltish but well-meaning everyman; Lisa speaks as the show's social conscience; Bart is the punk icon; Marge the moral authortiy; and C. Montgomery Burns represents the evil of unchecked capitialism. The ensemble provides a framework for identifying, through ruthless parody and subversive wit, the wrongs of our time. By Turner's analysis, the popularity of th show illustrates a generation's cynicism, restlessness, and ultimately, optimism and love of humanity.
Available September 2004
Abridged; 12 hours on 10 CDs
ISBN 1-56511-901-0 (CD)
Chris Turner has been awarded six National Magazine Awards for his pop culture and technology reporting essays for Shift magazine, as well as the President's Medal for General Excellence in 2001, the highest honor in Canadian magazine writing. He is also a regular contributor to Time and The Globe and Mail. Turner lives in Alberta.
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