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Article
Are we there yet? Searching for Springfield and The Simpsons’ rhetoric of place
Critical Studies in Media Communication (2005)
  • Andrew Wood, San Jose State University
  • Anne Marie Todd, San Jose State University
Abstract
The Simpsons’ visual and textual depiction of Springfield as a typical American city provides an insightful critique of the modern project. We demonstrate how America's longest running sitcom depicts urban life as a mutable environment whose disparate locales convey their inhabitants to a ubiquitous, ever-present continuum that we term “omnitopia.” In depicting Springfield as omnitopia, the show offers a cartoon version of public life marked by dislocation, conflation, fragmentation, mutability, mobility, and commodification. The study of these components provides a means to interpret and critique the increasing decline of locales in the urban environment.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2005
DOI
10.1080/07393180500200878
Publisher Statement
SJSU users: use the following link to login and access the article via SJSU databases
Citation Information
Andrew Wood and Anne Marie Todd. "Are we there yet? Searching for Springfield and The Simpsons’ rhetoric of place" Critical Studies in Media Communication Vol. 22 Iss. 3 (2005)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/annemarie_todd/14/