Description
Book Synopsis Given the limitless freedom of animation, why would anyone use it to make a sitcom about a struggling family-owned burger place? And why would audiences embrace this greasy fantasy, not just by tuning in but by permanently decorating their legs and arms with images from the show and writing detailed backstories for its minor characters?
This book-length critical study of Bob''s Burgers examines the moments in which the animated sitcom exposes the chasms between generations, explores gender and sexual identity, and allows fans to imagine a better world. Essays cover how the show can be read as a series of critiques of Steven Spielberg''s early blockbusters, a rejection of Freudian psychology, or an examination of the artificiality of gendered behaviors through the cross-casting of characters like Tina and Linda.
By tracing the ways that the popular reception of Bob''s Burgers reflects changing cultural attitudes, the essays provoke broader question
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction: Welcome to the Pundane Surreal
1. From the Womb to the Tomb: Bob's Burgers and Birth Order Theory
2. Spielberger of the Day: Boomers Dream, Generation X Schemes
3. "We're not not-going to a toy-pony convention": Bob's Burgers and Fan Culture
4. Our Father Who Art in Apron: Bob Belcher, Model Father
5. Burger Boss: Bob's Burgers as a Workplace Sitcom
6. "Boys are from Mars, girls are from Venus": Gender and Voice Casting in Bob's Burgers
7. Gene-der Trouble: Gene Belcher and Masculinity
8. The Marshmallow Test: Bob's Burgers and Complex Identity
9. "You're so good at touching strangers": Bob's Burgers in Uncertain Times
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
