Description
Book SynopsisAccolades such as "the best TV show of the twentieth century" or "the longest-running scripted series on American prime-time television" have elevated The Simpsons to the pop culture pantheon, while also suggesting the very vintage character of the program. But the label "The Simpsons" refers not just to a show that seems to belong to a bygone television era, it implies a rich narrative universe, including a set of iconic figures, familiar across continents and generations.
Through the lens of transmedia studies,
Understanding The Simpsons traces the franchise’s trajectory, exploring how one of the most popular comedy series of all time has redefined the intersections between corporate media and participatory culture, as the kernel of its cult meaning.
Trade Review"Does the world need another book on
The Simpsons? Don’t have a cow! From Black Bart to Banksy, from the
Harvard Lampoon and underground comics to
Mad Magazine, from transmedia storytelling to DeviantArt, Moritz Fink deftly explores what’s ‘cult‘ in this long-running television series and in the process, uses
The Simpsons to explore the complex status of television in contemporary culture."
- Henry Jenkins, University of Southern California, editor of
Popular Culture and the Civic Imagination: Case Studies of Creative Activism "Meticulously researched and intelligently argued,
Understanding The Simpsons: Animating the Politics and Poetics of Participatory Culture will be welcomed by American Studies scholars, students of television seriality, and anyone interested in the cultural histories of the nineties and naughties and beyond. Whether you like to watch
The Simpsons as an academic, as a fan, or as an aca-fan, this book is for you."
- Frank Kelleter, Freie Universität Berlin, editor of
Media of Serial Narrative "Broadening the scope of study of
The Simpsons from the television series to its status as a global transmedia franchise, Moritz Fink’s book is essential reading for anyone interested in the television industry and production, media convergence, fandom and participatory culture."
- Rebecca Williams, University of South Wales, author of
Theme Park Fandom: Spatial Transmedia, Materiality, and Participatory CulturesTable of ContentsList of Images
Acknowledgments
Preface to the AUP Edition
Introduction
1. Bart Talks Back: The Politics and Poetics of Participatory Culture
2. Alternative TV: The Genesis of The Simpsons
3. More than Just a Cartoon: Meta-Television Culture and the Age of Irony
4. High Fives on Prime Time: Representing Popular Culture
5. At the Edge of Convergence Culture: Engaging in the Simpsons Cult
6. Echoes of Springfield: The Simpsons in Remix Culture
Conclusion: The Simpsons, Cultural Feedback Loops, and the Case of Apu
Bibliography
Index
