The Simpsons

The Simpsons - an american sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox broadcasting company.

A satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle. The show’s narrative structure and mode of humour is a prime example of a postmodern product. Narrative is disjointed/ in parts/ non-linear.

Comedy in intertextual references

Self awareness- text is often screaming ‘i’m a text’. Simpsons is a melting pot of society- everybody from every walk of life is in. Uses the micro-narratives. 

Because The Simpsons is animated it lends freedom in exploring micro-narratives. 

The Simpsons parodies the earnest family values of a traditional American sitcom. The show does not promote ideals for the audience to aspire to. Homer fractures the meta-narrative of the father having the most authority in the household. 

Postmodernism= In its determination to fracture meta-narratives, it just creates NEW meta-narratives. In essence, you could say the micro-narrative has become the new meta-narrative. 

Frederic Jameson: “Postmodernism is a world in which innovation is no longer possible, all that is left is to imitate dead styles…” 

It is therefore a culture “of flatness, of depthlesssness, a new kind of superficiality in the most literal sense… it derives its force from other imags, that is, from the interplay of intertextuality…”

Consumerism....

Krusty the Klown (McDonalds/ Ronald McDonald) represents the mass produced, commodified world of consumer culture.  The Simpsons inhabit a society where consumer brands and advertising slogans dominate their daily life. The show continually parodies the 'hopes and aspirations' promoted by consumer culture. 

The way the Simpsons mocks everyone in society shows equality- oxymoronic. 

The narrative structure of the Simpsons demonstrates some of the characteristics of postmodernism. Episodes are deliberately non-linear and erratic. 

The Simpsons tried narrative style reflects the pluralism of the postdmoern society. It manages to portray and entire spectrum of society i.e. 

Apu- Indian immigrant

Reverand Lovejoy- church minister

Nelson Muntz- school bully from a dysfunctional family 

The narrative focus of an episode can cover a wide range of characters and therefore no authoritative voice is presented. We are presented with a wide range of micro-narratives. The Simpsons reject systems that exert their authority on order to proclaim absolute truths. 

Leotard's view is that meta-narratives that are there to explain and easier society, are really illusions which smother opposition, difference and plurality. 

The Simpsons criticises those who perpetuate meta-naratives. i.e. Bart and Lisa having authority over their parents.

The message, although buried, is to oppose authority- religion, politics, education, legal etc. Therefore they reject authority figures. 

Mayor Quimy, Chief Wiggum and Rev. Lovejoy are all seen as either corrupt or incompetent.  

'Postmodernism is a warn against the cultural and theoretical consensus and ideological unity'. -Lyotard 
'Knowledge is continually commented through metanarratives'- Leotard 
Lytoard calld for a world of 'micro-narratives' where there is no universal 'truth'. (absolute truths) 

Religion....


Religion is a metanarrative. The Simpsons examines religion from a critical perspective. The Simpsons attend a church in their local town, however we also know that Lisa is a Buddhist and Homer pronounces Jesus as Jebus. 

Christian fundamentalist, Ned Flanders is often ridiculed. The simsons ridicule of Flanders' beliefs, reflects Lyotard's opposition to the metanarrative. The Simpsons has criticised other religions too: Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism- staying rue to Postmodernism's non-discriminative disposition, all religious metanarratives are equally vunerable to attack. 

Although it is dangerous to assume that equity is achieved through discrimination to everybody.