Synopses & Reviews
Planet Simpson is the first book to bring in-depth analysis to that most important pop-cultural institution of the last decade Fox TV's
The Simpsons and use the show as a microcosm of the Western culture it has hilariously (and mercilessly) reflected and influenced. In an age of unprecedented transformation, "The Simpsons" alone has had the depth, intelligence, scope, and, most importantly, humor to chart the links between popular culture and the world we live in.
Planet Simpson is broken down into scathingly funny chapters analyzing each major character's relationship to different facets of the American character: Homer Simpson, the ultimate everyman of the American century; Lisa Simpson, the voice of the show's social conscience; Bart Simpson, punk icon; Marge Simpson, maternal voice of moral authority and anchor of Simpsons family values; C. Montgomery Burns, unchecked capitalism personified...and every bit character on down from Barney to Smithers to Krusty the Clown, coupled with intelligent, friendly, and entertaining analysis of the show's greater themes.
Going well beyond a critical discussion of a single television program, Planet Simpson will use The Simpsons as a window on the culture at large to deliver first-hand reportage of the Internet boom, the alternative-rock explosion, the triumph of irony, the cultural origins of anti-globalization, and other defining events and trends of our accelerated, confounding era.
Review
"[Turner] offers detailed and trenchant analysis befitting academic geekdom, but he also freely and enthusiastically flys his fan-boy colors with favorite bits, episodes, and anecdotes." Library Journal
Synopsis
The pop culture satire The Simpsons gets a sprawling, multidimensional critical look at its beginnings in 1987 as a cartoon interlude on the Tracey Ullman Show through its evolution into a cultural institution.
Synopsis
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 institution that reaches across the generations. As satire, it's sharp and funny. As a pop phenom, it's in a league of its own. And with Planet Simpson, it finally gets the sprawling, multidimensional critical look it so richly deserves. "Smart and funny, Turner writes with fitting enthusiasm for his subject while working in seemly references to cultural theory and TV-insider politics. His book is just the thing for fellow fans, and for anyone interested in how pop phenomena came to be." -Hollywood Reporter This book was not prepared, licensed, approved, or endorsed by any entity involved in creating or producing the television series "The Simpsons."
Synopsis
As Comic Book Guy might say, this thorough examination of a pop culture phenomenon is 'Best. Simpson. Book. Ever.'-January magazine
About the Author
Chris Turner is an award-winning magazine journalist. His pop culture and technology reporting and essays for Shift magazine earned him six National Magazine Awards in the last three years. He is also a regular contributor of culture and technology reporting to Time and the Globe & Mail. Turner lives in Calgary.