Elena Gaertner

Dickens's Fiction and the Simpsons: Parodying the Status Quo: a Comparative Analysis Elena Gaertner

Comparing Dickens's fiction and The Simpsons as cultural artefacts reveals strikingly similar themes and concerns. Both Dickens's writings and The Simpsons, in spite of being strongly contested by politicians at their time, generated a public sphere around themselves. This book provides a nuanced take on parody as a mode of critique: Dickens's work being seen to support the status quo that it satirizes and The Simpsons been seen to depend upon the very society it attacks. The overall argument concerning these works is their relation to political authority and capitalism. This comparative analysis also shows that both artefacts undermine and reinforce the prevailing cultural hegemony. Fans of The Simpsons will find this book to be a perfect rebuttal for those who dismiss the show as a no-brainer. As well as, readers of Charles Dickens will find here, carefully and dialectically argued, a new reading of his novels. In all, this book is a benefit to anyone interested in a wittily argued comparative analysis of different media from different eras.