Summary
Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation, also abbreviated to Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation, is a non-fiction book about The Simpsons, written by Chris Turner and originally published on October 12, 2004 by Random House.[1] The book is partly a memoir and an exploration of the impact The Simpsons has had on popular culture.
 Cover of Planet Simpson (1st United States ed.) | |
| Author | Chris Turner |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Subject | The Simpsons |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Published | 2004 (Random House Canada) |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 466 pp. |
| ISBN | 0-679-31318-4 |
| OCLC | 55682258 |
Background edit
Planet Simpson was written by Canadian author Chris Turner, who is a big fan of The Simpsons, although "not even the biggest fan I know personally ... I think I am actually a pretty average hardcore fan. What I brought to it was a sense that because the show is as well put together as it is, it really offers a wide lens for looking at culture generally."[2] Turner notes: "I can count on The Simpsons to provide me with a solid thirty minutes of truth, of righteous anger, of hypocrisies deflated and injustices revealed, of belly laughter and joy. It is food for my soul. Seriously. I think many Simpsons fans would agree. And that, as far as I'm concerned, makes it a kind of religion," he explains in the book.[3] He had previously written an essay during his time at Shift entitled "The Simpsons Generation", which was syndicated across North America.[1] Turner wrote Planet Simpson because there had not been a book that had looked at the "genesis, past, characters and influence" of the show, only official episode guides or academic pieces.[2]
Planet Simpson examines the show's satirical humor and its impact on pop culture.[3] It also looks at numerous episodes of the show.
It features a foreword by Douglas Coupland.[1]
Chapters edit
- Foreword by Douglas Coupland
- Introduction: The Birth of the Simpsonian Institution
- Chapter 1: The Life & Times of The Simpsons
- A brief history of the show, its creation, its writers and a study of its various styles of humour. Also details the shows descendants and its "ancestors".
- Chapter 2: Homer's Odyssey
- Focuses on Homer Simpson, extended mention of Frank Grimes.
- Chapter 3: Bart Simpson, Punk icon
- Focuses on Bart Simpson, extended mention of Sideshow Bob, Krusty, and Principal Skinner.
- Chapter 4: Citizen Burns
- Focuses on Mr. Burns, extended mention of Jack Larson, Reverend Lovejoy, Lindsey Naegle, Mayor Quimby, Waylon Smithers, Squeaky Voiced Teen, Chief Wiggum, and Wiseguy.
- Chapter 5: Lisa Lionheart
- Focuses on Lisa Simpson.
- Chapter 6: Marge Knows Best
- Focuses on Marge Simpson, extended mention of Ned Flanders and Grampa Simpson.
- Chapter 7: The Simpsons in Cyberspace
- Focuses on the Internet and its influences in the show and the shows influence on the Internet, extended mention of Comic Book Guy.
- Chapter 8: The Ugly Springfieldianite
- Focuses on The Simpsons in the United States and abroad, extended mention of Apu and Groundskeeper Willie.
- Chapter 9: The Simpsons Go Hollywood
- Focuses on the shows take on Hollywood, celebrities and the shows many guest stars, extended mention of Kent Brockman, Krusty, Troy McClure, and Rainier Wolfcastle.
- Chapter 10: The Simpsons Through the Looking Glass
- Focuses on the shows take on pop culture.
- Chapter 11: Planet Simpson
- The conclusion of the book.
Top 5 episodes edit
The end of the first chapter includes a look at the author's Top 5 episodes. Turner lists "Last Exit to Springfield" as his favourite episode. The other four episodes ordered by airdate: "Marge vs. the Monorail", "Rosebud", "Deep Space Homer" and "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)".[4]
Reception edit
Christopher Hirst of The Independent felt the book would largely appeal to fans of The Simpsons who would enjoy "Turner's critical intelligence and social awareness," while "non-fans will see 470 pages of geeky raving." He felt the book was "sui generis," and its "combination of motor-mouthed omniscience and voluminous footnotes is reminiscent of a certain style of highbrow writing about pop music."[5] Curtis Gloade of The Record described the book as "almost 500 pages of this sort of meticulous, clear, and I believe, accurate rhetoric. It kept me nodding in agreement throughout. And laughing, too."[3] He also wrote that he hopes people will not skip by the book at the bookstore because it is about The Simpsons and assume that it is "little more than a laugh-along-with-me book with lots of pictures and funny quotes." Gloade commented that this is "not the case. I laughed out loud regularly at the many Simpsons quotes, but that's only a small part of the total package."[3] He concluded that Planet Simpson is an "enjoyable reading experience, one that will likely be matchless still for a long time because I highly doubt we'll see such a melding of a stellar pop culture icon (The Simpsons) and eloquent cultural critic (Turner) again for a long time."[3] Kevin Jackson of The Times gave a largely negative review of the book. While feeling Turner's knowledge of the show was vast and finding much of the initial "less well-known aspects of Simpsonian pre-history" interesting, he overall felt the book was mostly "flimflam and filler" and criticised Turner's "gee-whiz prose and occasional lapses into plain old illiteracy" and ultimately failed to achieve the analytical goal Turner set: "It would take wit as keen and literary flair as supple as [the show's writers] to do justice to the show, and Turner is gifted with neither: he may think like Lisa, but he writes more like the Comic Book Guy."[6]
Editions edit
| Publishing date | Title | Edition | Tag | Imprint | Cover's Extras | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 9, 2004 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation | 1st | UK | Ebury Press | Introduction by Douglas Coupland Power Screen Global Cult Pop Politics Music[7] |
472 pp.[8] |
| October 7, 2004 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation | 1st abridged | USA | HighBridge | The first audio to bring witty, opinionated, in-depth analysis to the longest-running sitcom of all time and the most important pop-cultural phenomenon of our generation. Abridged; 12 hours on 10 compact discs. Read by Oliver Wyman.[9] |
12 hours[9] |
| October 12, 2004 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation | 1st (original) | CA | Random House Canada | Foreword by Douglas Coupland[10] | 466 pp.[11] |
| October 12, 2004 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation | 1st | USA | Da Capo Press | Foreword by Douglas Coupland author of Generation X[12] |
464 pp.[13] |
| August 4, 2005 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation | 1st revised | UK | Ebury Press | Introduction by Douglas Coupland ‘This is a terrifically energetic book which, like its many-layered subject, will reward repeat consumption.’ THE GUARDIAN[A][14] |
480 pp.[15] |
| October 18, 2005 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation | 1st revised | USA | Da Capo Press | "Quite simply, the definitive book about The Simpsons."—Q[16] | 464 pp.[17] |
| October 28, 2008 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation | 1st revised with addition |
CA | Vintage Canada | Foreword by Douglas Coupland With a new afterword by the author[18] |
576 pp.[19] |
- A. ^ Citation from article "Books previews: Saturday, 11 September 2004" (The Guardian).[20]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Planet Simpson" (Product Description). Random House. Retrieved 2011-01-16.[dead link]
- ^ a b Moran, Jonathan (2004-11-11). "Planet Simpsons". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- ^ a b c d e Gloade, Curtis (2004-10-09). "Dohs! of our lives on Planet Simpson". The Record. p. P3.
- ^ Turner 2004d, p. 70; Turner 2005b, p. 70
- ^ Hirst, Christopher (2005-08-26). "Paperbacks: Dirk Bogarde, Maggie: Her fatal legacy, Planet Simpson, Limeys, All the Wrong Places, Village of Stone, Fleshmarket Close". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2011-01-16.[dead link]
- ^ Jackson, Kevin (2004-09-05). "Television: Planet Simpson by Chris Turner". The Times. London.
- ^ Turner 2004a, front cover.
- ^ Turner 2004a.
- ^ a b Turner 2004b, back cover.
- ^ Turner 2004c, front cover.
- ^ Turner 2004c.
- ^ Turner 2004d, front cover.
- ^ Turner 2004d.
- ^ Turner 2005a, front cover.
- ^ Turner 2005a.
- ^ Turner 2005b, front cover.
- ^ Turner 2005b.
- ^ Turner 2008, front cover.
- ^ Turner 2008.
- ^ Mueller, Andrew (September 11, 2004). "Planet Simpson [by] Chris Turner". The Guardian (Book preview). London. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
- Bibliography
- Turner, Chris (September 9, 2004a). Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation. Introduction by Douglas Coupland (1st ed.). London: Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0-09-189756-7. OCLC 56457550.
- —— (October 7, 2004b). Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation (Audiobook). Read by Oliver Wyman (1st abridged ed.). Minneapolis: HighBridge. ISBN 978-1-56511-901-7. OCLC 56882530.
- —— (October 12, 2004c). Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation. Foreword by Douglas Coupland (1st ed.). Toronto: Random House Canada. ISBN 978-0-679-31318-2. OCLC 55682258.
- —— (October 12, 2004d). Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation. Foreword by Douglas Coupland (1st ed.). Cambridge: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-81341-2. OCLC 670978714.
- —— (August 4, 2005a). Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation. Introduction by Douglas Coupland (1st revised ed.). London: Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0-09-190336-7. OCLC 56457550.
- —— (October 18, 2005b). Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation (1st revised ed.). Cambridge: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-81448-8. OCLC 670978714.
- —— (October 28, 2008). Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation. Foreword by Douglas Coupland, with a new afterword by the author (1st revised and expanded ed.). Toronto: Vintage Canada. ISBN 978-0-307-35704-5. OCLC 192053177.
External links edit
- Official website of the Author