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Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture [Paperback]

John Alberti (Editor)
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: Jun 1 2003 | Series: Contemporary Film and Television
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.

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Customer Reviews

3.3 out of 5 stars
3 reviews
3.3 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Subversive-minded readers only! July 1 2004
By Timothy Sexton
Format:Paperback
The reviewer who complained that this book is just academic twaddle seemingly couldn't possibly be a true Simpsons fan. This book is an excellent entree into the culture theory of ideological poisoning that is at the heart of all media--conservative, right-wing media--in America today. (Not that there is any viable liberal left-wing media in America today, regardless of what the GOP would have you believe.) Every image you see coming at you from TV, movies, video games, etc. is designed to suck you into the consumerist ideological trap that the writers of the Simpsons are dedicated to making you question. The Simpsons as a cartoon is show to be highly worthy of penetrating critique, something that most viewers aren't bothered with attempting. The first two chapters of the book, both of which examine consumerism/capitalism's failings and how the Simpsons manage to exploit those failings, are the highlights of the book. If you just want a listing of movie references, read the highly entertaining episode guides (I own all three to date), but you want to understand how the film references are used to provide further dissident and subversive layers to the show, buy this book. The only quibble: It fails to entertain the question of how oppositional--to consumer culture--the Simpsons can be when it produces billions of dollars of revenue from merchandise.
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5.0 out of 5 stars for smart simpsons geeks May 10 2004
By chiyeko
Format:Paperback
I am a Simpsons geek; I admit it freely, and with pride. I have greedily grabbed up all of the academically-slanted studies of the show that have trickled out over the last few years, including studies on philosophy and religion in the show. They have all been interesting, but flawed. Finally, in Leaving Springfield, I get a book that does more than simply summarize plot lines I already know, and then run off its own agenda. This book analyzes episodes, and provides new insights by interpreting them through a variety of critical perspectives. The most interesting essay, for example, examines The Simpsons as a bridge between so-called "high" and "low" art, combining the "lowbrow" media of television and animation with literary "highbrow" irony, self-reflexivity, and wit. Other essays examine the way the show uses ethnic stereotypes to undermine social racism, gay life on The Simpsons, and The Simpsons' place in the animation tradition. All the essays are brought together under a broad topic: can a show like The Simpsons, which is owned and televised by a multinational conglomerate, still be a legitimate social satire?

The writing is academic, and at times a bit dry, but if you like The Simpsons, you'll love this book. Even if you aren't a big fan, I still recommend it; books like Leaving Springfield are becoming more and more important, because as visual media continues to take over print, we need to start looking seriously at television for the few (albeit very few) works of true art it offers. This book is a bit hard to find, but well worth the search.

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1.0 out of 5 stars What a Bunch of Academic Twaddle! April 1 2004
By Donald C. Brown
Format:Paperback
I'm probably numb to the nuances of Cultural Criticism, but the essays in this book are the worst sort of claptrap from grimly earnest strivers in the groves of academe.

Trying to evaluate the cultural significance of The Simpsons is a fool's game--it's there in plain sight every night in reruns--but these authors are undeterred. They are bound and determined to override a work of collaborative genius with their own stale biases and canned interpretations.

And not a one of them shows a sense of humor, so far as I could discover. The writers and illustrators of The Simpsons are miles ahead of these writers in evaluating contemporary culture.

Maggie would not countenance their hogwash.

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