Planet Simpson

How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation

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by Chris Turner,

Introduction by Douglas Coupland

Da Capo Press

Due/Published September 2004, 288 pages, cloth

ISBN 0306813416

Planet Simpson brings 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.