Leaving Springfield
Encyclopedia
Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture is a non-fiction
compilation work analyzing the effect of the television
program The Simpsons
on society, edited by John Alberti. The book was published in 2004 by Wayne State University Press
. Contributors to the work include academics associated with Northern Kentucky University
, the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
, The Australian National University, and the University of Sydney
.
The book discusses the nature of The Simpsons, and its impact on society from the perspective of popular culture and that of political satire
. The work received a positive review from Luke E. Saladin of Scripps Howard News Service for the breadth of issues discussed in the book, and was criticized by Cathlena Martin in a review in the journal ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies for a lack of discussion and analysis of gender issues and the role of women in the television series.
, where he is an associate professor of English. Alberti notes that there is a distinction between poking fun at something and satire: "Satire involves defining a kind of moral or political point of view and using humor to show how it's not living up to this ethical standard." Alberti told CanWest News Service
that rather than the Fox Network, the most valuable database for information on The Simpsons when doing research for the book was "an online archive established, maintained and vetted by unpaid Simpsons enthusiasts". Other contributors include David L. G. Arnold, who teaches English at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
; Duncan Stuart Beard, who holds a Ph.D.
in English literature from The Australian National University; and Mick Broderick, Associate Director of the Centre for Millennial Studies the University of Sydney
.
– both as a popular television program as well as its use of political satire
. Leaving Springfield discusses the financial success the program has had; despite often parodying the forms of capitalism it also promotes. Commentators in the book take a look at the use of parody and satire in society to critique itself, by discussing the impact of the television series on its viewership and its place within television comedy history.
, while simultaneously denigrating the Fox network in jabs during the program. Saladin also notes that essays in the book discuss The Simpsons' "place in television history, its treatment of social issues and capitalism, and everything else from the Cold War and nuclear arms to what Homer Simpson's narcissism
tells us about our own tendencies".
In her review of the book for the journal ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies, Cathlena Martin is critical, and points out that the book "lacks a feminist study of The Simpsons", noting: "A weakness of this collection is that it does not address more gender issues and analyze the main or supporting female characters more. ... The lack of analysis with regard to the female members of Springfield is decisively missing." Jeremy G. Butler cites the book as an example in his work Television: Critical Methods and Applications, when noting that "books on The Simpsons have become a cottage industry". An essay from the book on "Cultural Conflicts" is required reading in a sociology
course on The Simpsons: "The Simpsons Global Mirror", at the University of California, Berkeley
.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
compilation work analyzing the effect of the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
program The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
on society, edited by John Alberti. The book was published in 2004 by Wayne State University Press
Wayne State University Press
Wayne State University Press , founded in 1941, is a university press that is part of Wayne State University. It publishes under its own name and also the imprints Painted Turtle and Great Lakes Books....
. Contributors to the work include academics associated with Northern Kentucky University
Northern Kentucky University
|type = Public|president= Dr. James C. Votruba|city = Highland Heights|state = KY|country = U.S.|endowment = $68 million|students = 15,405|undergrad = 13,206|postgrad = 2,199|faculty = 1,159...
, the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point is a public university located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin...
, The Australian National University, and the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
.
The book discusses the nature of The Simpsons, and its impact on society from the perspective of popular culture and that of political satire
Political satire
Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...
. The work received a positive review from Luke E. Saladin of Scripps Howard News Service for the breadth of issues discussed in the book, and was criticized by Cathlena Martin in a review in the journal ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies for a lack of discussion and analysis of gender issues and the role of women in the television series.
Authors
John Alberti, the editor of the work, is also the writer of the book's introduction. Alberti teaches American literature and critical studies at Northern Kentucky UniversityNorthern Kentucky University
|type = Public|president= Dr. James C. Votruba|city = Highland Heights|state = KY|country = U.S.|endowment = $68 million|students = 15,405|undergrad = 13,206|postgrad = 2,199|faculty = 1,159...
, where he is an associate professor of English. Alberti notes that there is a distinction between poking fun at something and satire: "Satire involves defining a kind of moral or political point of view and using humor to show how it's not living up to this ethical standard." Alberti told CanWest News Service
CanWest News Service
Postmedia News is a national news agency with correspondents in Canada, Europe, and the United States and is part of the Canadian newspaper chain owned by Postmedia Network Inc.-History:...
that rather than the Fox Network, the most valuable database for information on The Simpsons when doing research for the book was "an online archive established, maintained and vetted by unpaid Simpsons enthusiasts". Other contributors include David L. G. Arnold, who teaches English at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point is a public university located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin...
; Duncan Stuart Beard, who holds a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in English literature from The Australian National University; and Mick Broderick, Associate Director of the Centre for Millennial Studies the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
.
Contents
The book analyzes the impact of The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
– both as a popular television program as well as its use of political satire
Political satire
Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...
. Leaving Springfield discusses the financial success the program has had; despite often parodying the forms of capitalism it also promotes. Commentators in the book take a look at the use of parody and satire in society to critique itself, by discussing the impact of the television series on its viewership and its place within television comedy history.
Reception
Luke E. Saladin of Scripps Howard News Service notes that an "especially popular theme in the essays" contained in the work is the fact that The Simpsons promotes its nature as a corporate product of FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, while simultaneously denigrating the Fox network in jabs during the program. Saladin also notes that essays in the book discuss The Simpsons
Narcissism
Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...
tells us about our own tendencies".
In her review of the book for the journal ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies, Cathlena Martin is critical, and points out that the book "lacks a feminist study of The Simpsons", noting: "A weakness of this collection is that it does not address more gender issues and analyze the main or supporting female characters more. ... The lack of analysis with regard to the female members of Springfield is decisively missing." Jeremy G. Butler cites the book as an example in his work Television: Critical Methods and Applications, when noting that "books on The Simpsons have become a cottage industry". An essay from the book on "Cultural Conflicts" is required reading in a sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
course on The Simpsons: "The Simpsons Global Mirror", at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
External links
- Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture, website of book's publisher
- Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture, introduction to the book, at The Simpsons ArchiveThe Simpsons ArchiveThe Simpsons Archive, better known as snpp.com or simply SNPP , is a Simpsons fan site that has been online since 1994...