Metafiction in the Simpsons Hayley Carr School of Design, Visual Communications 2017
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Metafiction in The Simpsons Hayley Carr School of Design, Visual Communications 2017 National College of Art and Design Visual Communications, School of Design Metafiction in the Simpsons Hayley Carr Submitted to the School of Visual Culture in Candidacy of the Degree of BA(Hons) Visual Communications, 2017 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Table of Contents List of illustrations…………………………………………………………………………………i List of Simpsons Episodes…………………………………………………………………………ii List of TV Shows and Films……..………………………………………………………………..iii Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1 Preface: Metafiction and the Simpsons……………………………………………………………3 Chapter One: Stupid TV! Be More Funny!……………………………………………………….5 Chapter Two: Cartoons Don’t Have any Deep Meaning………………………………………….11 Chapter Three: Success, Fame, Beer, Candy…………………………………………….………..17 Conclusion: So Everything’s Been Wrapped Up in a Neat Little Package!………………………22 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………24 ! List of Illustrations • Fig.1 Still from Felix in Hollywood, Dir: Otto Messmer, Pat Sullivan Studios, 1923 • Fig. 2 Still from The Day the Violence Died (S07E18) (Manhattan Madness), Dir: Wes Archer, Fox Studios, 1996 • Fig. 3 Still from Gertie the Dinosaur, Dir: Windsor McCay, 1914 • Fig. 4 Still from I’m Just a Bill, Schoolhouse Rock, 1975 • Fig. 5 Still from The Day the Violence Died (S07E18) (Amendment to Be), Dir: Wes Archer, Fox Studios, 1996 • Fig. 6 Still from Pinocchio, Dir(s): Hamilton Luske, Ben Sharpsteen, Jack Kinney, Norm Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, T. Hee, Bill Roberts, Disney Studios, 1940 • Fig. 7 Still from Itchy and Scratchy Land (S06E04) (Pinitchyo), Dir: Wes Archer, Fox Studios, 1994 ! i List of Simpsons Episodes • Bart vs Australia, S06E16 • Behind the Laughter, S11E22 • The Day the Violence Died, S07E18 • Deep Space Homer, S05E13 • The Front, S04E19 • Homer Loves Flanders, S05E16 • Itchy & Scratchy Land, S06E04 • The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show, S08E14 • Milhouse Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, S15E12 • The Principal and the Pauper, S09E02 • Sideshow Bob’s Last Gleaming, S07E09 • The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular, S07E10 • Treehouse of Horror II, S03E07 • Treehouse of Horror IX, S10E04 ! ii ! ! List of TV Shows and Films • Behind the Music, VH1, 1997–present • Beverly Hillbillies, P. Henning, CBS, 1962–1971 • The Brady Bunch, S. Schwartz, ABC, 1969–1974 • Cheers, J. Burrows; G. Charles; L. Charles, NBC, 1982–1993 • The Dick Van Dyke Show, C. Reiner, CBS, 1961–1966 • Duck Amuck, (Dir) C. M. Jones, Warner Bros., 1953 • Family Guy, S. MacFarlane, Fox, 1999–present • Fantasia, Walt Disney Productions, 1940 • Felix the Cat, P. Sullivan; O. Messmer, 1919– • The Flintstones, W. Hanna; J. Barbera, ABC, 1960–1966 • Fritz the Cat, R. Bakshi, Cinemation Industries, 1972 • Gertie the Dinosaur, W. McCay, 1914 • The Honeymooners, (Dir) F. Satenstein, CBS, 1955–1956 • The Jeffersons, D. Nicholl; M. Ross; B. West, CBS, 1975–1985 • Pinnochio, (Dir) B. Sharpsteen; H. Luske, Walt Disney Productions, 1940 • Rabbit Rampage, (Dir) C. M. Jones, Warner Bros., 1955 • South Park, T. Parker; M. Stone, Comedy Central, 1997–present • Steamboat Willie, (Dir) W. Disney; U. Iwerks, Celebrity Productions/Cinephone, 1928 • Tom & Jerry, W. Hanna; J. Barbera, MGM, 1940–1958 iii Introduction The following analysis of metafiction in the Simpsons is true. And by true I mean, false. It’s all lies. But they’re entertaining lies, and in the end isn’t that the real truth? The answer is: no. If you got that reference then you’re part of an elite group of people who don’t just watch the Simpsons, but internalise it, and file it away in a mental cabinet under the letter ‘S,’ perhaps forgetting important information such as ‘socialising’ and ‘swimming’ in order to store it all, so at the very least if you ever find yourself drowning in the middle of the ocean, you’ll be able to pray to the Roman god of the sea, ‘Aqua Man!’ to save you. If you’re not part of this elite group, then please allow me to explain why you should convert. In 1989 the world received a breath of fresh air when the Simpsons appeared on their television sets. Often hailed as the most successful primetime cartoon series ever made, the Simpsons boasts almost 30 years of success, and spans four decades. It has revolutionised the animation genre and has paved the way for adult cartoons that followed, such as Family Guy and South Park, which both still enjoy success today. The Simpsons captivated their audience by refuting previously accepted family archetypes and presenting viewers with a set of dysfunctional, outrageous characters, whose very absurdity made them normal, and relatable. The Simpsons dropped the pretence found in its contemporary sitcoms and inverted it and played on it, acknowledging itself for what it was and allowing the audience to see the constructed nature of television that was reflected in their own fracturing society. This self-reflexive outlook is not unique to the Simpsons, and is steeped in the animation and cartoon tradition, tracing back to early comic strips such as Little Sammy Sneeze who, in one strip, sneezes so hard that his panel breaks. Early Warner Bros cartoons, such as Duck-Amuck and Rabbit Rampage, took this self-reflexivity even further, with the characters of Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny speaking directly to the animator, whose presence was conveyed through a giant paintbrush and pencil that painted and erased the scenery and the characters. Bugs Bunny even pleads with the animator, saying that if they work together they could “do something revolutionary,” which is 1 exactly what they’re doing in the episode. In both cases, the animator is revealed to be another Warner Bros character. In all these examples, the creators are acknowledging the constructed nature of their genre, and are playing with them to create humour. The Simpsons, and its successors, carry on with this tradition, and arguably perfects it. Carl Matheson states that “the density of allusion is perhaps what sets [it] apart from any show that proceeded it,” and this is true (2001, pg. 67). The Simpsons is relentless with its use of allusions, to itself and to other television shows, films, and literature. They question and obliterate their pretences and simultaneously commemorate them. A Simpsons allusion can either be a sign of respect or contempt, and in both instances they are a mighty display of the Simpsons’ satiric wit which has been unmatched by any show that proceeded it, and any show that follows certainly has a high standard to reach. If you’re still unmoved by what I’ve said, then I suggest you stop reading now. However, if you’re intrigued, then read on, and let the conversion begin. ! 2 Preface: Metafiction and the Simpsons In the wave of a postmodern cynicism that overwhelmed society in the late 80s and 90s, the world began to present itself as a fragmented thing, subject to change, that held no permanent truths or virtues (Waugh, 1984, pg. 7). In particular, pop culture had been watered down into a purely consumerist transaction, devoid of any thought or meaning. Is it any surprise, then, that in the face of this bleak, cultural decline, that a family as whacky and dysfunctional as the Simpsons rose out of the ashes of a burning apathy, and invigorated the minds of a disillusioned society? The key to the popularity of the Simpsons lies in its honesty. Unlike its contemporaries, such as the Cosby Show, the Simpsons did not claim to reflect reality. It was open about its fictionality and mocked the idealistic representations of family life that had lost its credibility amongst viewers (Ott, 2001, pg. 59/60). Academically, this self-awareness that the Simpsons displays, is known as metafiction. Metafiction is marked by instances of self-consciousness, introspection, introversion, narcissism, and auto-representation (Currie, 1995, pg. 14). These instances are used to explore and interrogate the constructed nature of fiction by: upsetting fictional conventions, parodying specific works or fictional modes, and encouraging the reader/viewer to draw on their knowledge of fictional conventions to make sense of what they’re processing (Waugh, 1984, pg. 4). The Simpsons employs all of these techniques to create a thoughtful programme that, not only investigates its own medium, but exposes and ridicules the hackneyed, lazy construction of television narratives. Many critics of metafiction claim that it signifies the death of fiction, and an exhaustion of the mediums through which fiction functions. However, in an age where people are becoming more aware of how society’s values and practices are constructed and authorised, metafiction empathises with the modern consumer, breaking down the structure of the novel or the television programme in a way that reflects reality more profoundly than the ‘realistic’ modes of fiction that existed before (Waugh, 1984, pg. 19). In the following three chapters, I will discuss the Simpsons’ use of metafiction in relation to: 3 - Television: acknowledging the roots of sitcoms, exploring genre tropes, and mocking narrative conventions - Animation: exploring the history of animation through the Itchy & Scratchy Show, exploring the genre of cartoons, and discussing verisimilitude, and - On being the Simpsons: reflecting on their own success, creating parallels using the Itchy & Scratchy Show, and addressing the audience. ! 4 Chapter One: Stupid TV! Be More Funny! Lisa: Don’t worry, Bart. It seems like every week something odd happens to the Simpsons. My advice is to ride it out, make the occasional smart-Alec quip, and by next week we’ll all be back to where we started from, ready for another whacky adventure. !Bart: Ay caramba! Lisa: That’s the spirit! (Homer Loves Flanders, S05E16) This exchange aptly displays the Simpsons’ self-awareness, breaking down the walls of narrative convention, yet maintaining the suspension of disbelief required by viewers to immerse themselves in the show. Though the writers are aware that they are constructing a television show, the characters are unaware of their fictionality.