A Simpsons World After All

There have been plenty of Simpsons books, most filled with trivia and episode guides. But former Shift editor Chris Turner’s Planet Simpson is an exhaustive analysis that explores themes, characters and ideology, but primarily the show’s give-and-take relationship with pop culture. Turner explores the way the show both satirised and participated in the trends and events of the 1990s, arguing that if rock’n’roll was the thread that tied the boomers, The Simpsons is what links us. Turner’s character studies of Homer (the ultimate consumer), Bart (the punk), Lisa (the activist), Marge (the moralist) and Mr. Burns (the embodiment of capitalistic greed), are all revealing. A book that embiggens the smallest reader.