A Gramscian & Althusserian critique of The Simpsons

Abstract

As the all-time longest running television cartoon, The Simpsons bears a great deal of political implications. Among these implications, class conflict in general and Gramscian and Althusserian stand out in particular. Antonio Gramsci and Louis Althusser are two intellectuals who have provided significant contributions to Marxist literary theory. This article examines the renowned, American television show, The Simpsons from the viewpoint of Gramscian and Althusserian thought. Thus, the study analyzes the famous cartoon from the perspective of class conflict and criticizes it through the window of Gramscian civil society and hegemony while at the same time scrutinizing the work of popular culture by referring to Althusser’s notion of ideological and state apparatuses. Having analyzed these notions in The Simpsons, the article concludes by demonstrating how seriously incorporated The Simpsons actually is with Gramscian and Althusserian references and how these are embedded in the sub-layers of the television production. Finally, it also reveals that the happiness behind the parody is purely artificial and leaves many questions unanswered.