‘The Simpsons’ – A literary inspiration for all?

For many years I did not watch ‘The Simpsons’. Nevertheless, as my children got older it was initially a relief that they wanted to view because it was something we could all watch together, and I no longer had to endure Cbeebies on loop. (The day I saw ‘Come Outside’ where Aunty Mabel follows the poo from the toilet and then visits the sewerage farm, three times in one day, was a particular low point!).

I was  aware of the literary influences of ‘The Simpsons’, because when teaching American literature, in particular, Poe’s ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ and ‘The Raven’ students  would tell me they knew it because he had seen it on ‘The Simpsons’. The show’s interpretations are clever and relevant and expose children to literary classics in a way that is accessible to them. Therefore as teachers this is an opportunity to encourage a wider cultural knowledge in our students.

Literary contexts

My eleven year old son watched an episode of ‘The Simpsons’ based on ‘The Lord of the Flies’. He is a Simpsons fan and an avid reader. He said he finished the book he was reading at home and did I have a copy of the book the episode was based on? I was filled with pride that at such a young age he was mature enough to recognise the connection and inquisitive enough to want to access the original. He read four chapters on the first night and took it into school the next day. On returning from school, he said he had been told it was inappropriate because there was swearing in it, and that he should not be reading it! It was a yellowing, 1965, unappealing Penguin classic. The only pleasure you would get from such a text was enjoying the language, and he still wanted to read it.

Dystopia

I did have a think about my parenting skills in relation to this, but my take on his choice was that the whole point of the novel is to expose how dysfunctional and destructive society becomes when rules and structures disappear. As an eleven year old boy I think he could learn a great deal from accessing such a text, and having had an insight into the text through ‘The Simpsons’ means he can focus on the impact of the language. Young boys should think about how their behaviour impacts on others and learn how to behave in society – and reading such a novel gives them a perfect insight into this. The consequences of violent and destructive behaviour and the need to find more positive ways to function are excellent lessons in life. Isn’t this the whole point of reading? Accessing situations you would never want to be in and learning form this in the safety of a loving family and home life? My own personal dystopia is that a young boy is actively discouraged from reading by his teacher!  Clearly, I ignored this, and told him to carry on.  He is secure enough to ask if he does ever feel he needs to discuss any of the issues that arise. I even felt the need to read it again myself.

Having completed the novel, he was absolutely devastated that Simon died, and died in such horrific circumstances. As a natural leader himself, reading this has taught him a hard lesson. The decent and good are not naturally rewarded in life, a lesson that will stand him in good stead throughout his life.

Swearing

The naivety that eleven year old boys don’t hear swearing is also incredulous to me. When I think about my own childhood, we heard it in school, but NEVER on TV and films at such a young age. It is so prevalent on television, films and through the use of the X Box, today it is almost impossible to vet such language other than by teaching children context. My children know the boundaries, the levels of respectability, and the levels of formality, and I think as parents and teachers , this is about all we can do. They also understand that it can be used in literature and on TV to create effect and express anger, and this is not real life and this is not how they should behave. Yet again, my take on this is that it is more important to teach them how and why it is used, not to just ignore it all together.

Inspiration?

So, I do owe some debt to ‘The Simpsons’. It is wearing as thin as Aunty Mabel, and I am looking forward to  them moving on to something new, but if it is inspiring children to read literary classics who am I to stop them watching?