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Guardian Guide
This is a terrifically energetic book which, like its many layered subject, will reward repeat consumption --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Synopsis
An intelligent, engrossing, and hilarious examination of The Simpsons and its relationship to popular culture. 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 personifiedand 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.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover

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3 Reviews 5 star:    (0) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (3 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: Tries hard, occasionally trying, 16 Oct 2005 By  Mr. R. Lewin "tandoori" (London, England) - See all my reviews          This review is from: Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation (Paperback) This is a very long book - probably too long - that lauds The Simpsons as the greatest TV show we have. The author is sometimes close to labouring this point, especially early on. Indeed, in the whole book there is only one criticism of something in the show. Much of what he writes is interesting stuff, but my complaints would be as follows: it is occasionally self-indulgent; it occasionally goes off the point (this is particularly true in his chapter on the internet, which turns into a commentary on the web's explosion in the 1990s and is a slog to read through); a leftish bias is evident in many places; some of the repeatings of what happens in the show do not translate too well. But there's some decent stuff here, and you do come away from it with more admiration than ever for the makers of the show. If the book had been a little thinner it could have picked up similar plaudits.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: Media Studies Thesis: 2:2, 17 April 2006 By  A. Miles (Al Khor, Qatar) - See all my reviews       This review is from: Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation (Paperback) Turner's premise is that 'The Simpsons' has become the main vehicle for countercultural discourse, replacing rock music, independent cinema and political philosophy. It's an interesting idea, I guess, but one which he signally fails to put across well, rambling down various blind alleys and quoting bits of the shows repeatedly and at length: it's like being collared by an enthusiastic drunk in the pub. Turner also likes Nirvana and Radiohead as well as 'The Simpsons' and seems to reason that as he likes them they must therefore all have something in common, and spends many pages tortuously trying to link lyrics from 'Kid A' to the activities of Professor Frink. Overall, the book reads like a (very long) Media Studies thesis written by someone who's not quite as smart as they think they are. It's interesting that the publishers didnt edit this down to something more readable, as there are some worthwhile ideas tucked away.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   Best. Cartoon-related book. Ever., 22 Mar 2007 By  Mr. Tristan Martin (Cambridge, UK) - See all my reviews