The Nuance of Suburbia
Part One:
Arabian, Alex. “The Varying Depictions of Suburbia in Film & Television.” LIVING LIFE FEARLESS, 10 September 2020, livinglifefearless.co/2020/features/the-varying-depictions-of-suburbia-in-film-television/. Accessed 20 February 2024.
“The Varying Depictions of Suburbia in Film & Television” is a comprehensive list of negative, neutral, and positive suburban representations. No outside references are used to support the claims made by Arabian; however, he writes the article as a personal opinion piece using direct evidence from each film. The writing style is conversational, and Arabian covers several genres and periods, from Halloween to Breaking Bad. This article is a diverse source displaying the impact of Suburbia throughout the years on popular media.
Arcade Fire. The Suburbs. Merge City Slang Mercury, 2010.
Diamond, Jason. The Sprawl: Reconsidering the Weird American Suburbs. Coffee House Press, 2020.
Dickinson, Greg. Suburban Dreams: Imagining and Building the Good Life, University of Alabama Press, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/socal/detail.action?docID=2038800. Accessed 20 February 2024.
Suburban Dreams: Imagining and Building the Good Life employs topos to analyze suburban materialism and symbolism. Dickinson recognizes the importance of memory when discussing suburban life and how memories often encapsulate feelings of home or images of family. The strengths include evidence-based examples from films and his theme of the “Good Life.” Not many sources label the idealism of Suburbia as the “Good Life.” Dickinson does not include pictures with his descriptions, which would help illustrate his ideas.
Eidelstein, Eric. Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2017. Bloomsbury Music and Sound, https://www.bloomsburymusicandsound.com/monograph?docid=b-9781501336492. Accessed 21 February 2024.
George, Joseph. Postmodern Suburban Spaces: Philosophy, Ethics, and Community in Post-War American Fiction. Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. Springer Link, https://link-springer-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/book/10.1007/978-3-319-41006-7. Accessed 21 February 2024.
Postmodern Suburban Spaces uses evidence of urbanization from past writers to establish the argument for reconfiguring the suburban experience. George aims to show how Suburbia expands beyond just the stereotypical white picket fence. He uses evidence from films like The Stepford Wives to demonstrate his argument about the nuclear family’s ties to suburbanization. One weakness is George builds off and references much material in his text. The argument can get confusing if the reader does not get the reference. Also, the book tries to cover many topics in philosophy, ethics, and community, making it complex.
Huq, Rupa. Making Sense of Suburbia Through Popular Culture, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/socal/detail.action?docID=6160284. Accessed 20 February 2024.
Making Sense of Suburbia Through Popular Culture was finalized in 2013 and has been cited by many authors. It includes the cultural narrative of Suburbia and attempts to answer the question: “How can suburbia be so varied from place to place and over time.” The book centers on English suburban development, but certain sections are explicitly related to American life. The connections between popular depictions of Suburbia worldwide add complexity to the Suburbia conversation.
Manton, Paul. “Suburbia and the Pop Culture Paradox.” Patch, 28 Aug. 2012, patch.com/new-york/levittown-ny/suburbia-and-the-pop-culture-paradox. Accessed 20 February 2024.
Martinson, Tom. American Dreamscape. Carroll & Graf, 2000.
American Dreamscape focuses on post-war U.S. suburbia, emphasizing the 1940s and 1960s. Martinson describes the current political agenda of 2000, meaning the text is dated. He attempts to pass superficiality when discussing the suburbs and find the root of what makes suburbs Suburbia. The book’s audience is tomorrow’s civic leaders, who must understand the intricacies of social issues. Martinson uses much of his personal information, such as growing up in the suburbs, to strengthen his argument and add an emotional appeal. Also, the writing style is humorous and engaging.
Modern Family. Created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, Steven Levitan Productions, 2009–2020.
Modern Family depicts the relationships between three diverse family arrangements connected through Jay Pritchett. Modern Family argues that different families are neighbors than those expressed in past visual media. Although the show portrays these “modern” families, it perpetuates the patriarchal family structure. Each character’s house is almost a character itself, getting storylines and screen time. The show creates idealism and thoughts about suburban life, even if not the original intention.
Nicolaides, Becky M., and Andrew Wiese. The Suburb Reader. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016.
The Suburb Reader is a collection of three hundred primary sources describing the first suburban developments from the 1700s to the present. Nicolaides and Wiese provide commentary on why they chose each specific source, adding context from experts. However, the book is dense and will take a while to read. The photographs, maps, and advertisements provided are phenomenal and an excellent resource for viewing past suburban architecture. The Suburb Reader is regarded as one of the best compilations on suburbanization, filled with poignant essays to guide the reader.
Owens, Bill. Suburbia. Straight Arrow Books, 1973.
Owens’s Suburbia is the most influential photographic collection depicting life in the American suburbs. Owens entered the photographed families’ homes and displayed their daily lives, including quick written excerpts from interviewees. For example, Owens photographs a couple sitting in front of an odd-looking painting. They look uncomfortable, and below the picture is “You assume the mask of Suburbia for outward appearances, and yet no one knows what you do.” Owens depicts real people and their views; however, the interviews are short, with little clarity on who is speaking.
Pagano, Rachel. Depictions of Suburbia in American Fiction, Columbia University, New York, 2001. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/depictions-suburbia-american-fiction/docview/304691773/se-2. Accessed 20 February 2024.
Depictions of Suburbia in American Fiction is a dissertation by Pagano to complete her doctorate. This source gives an interesting perspective from a student going through the research process. She looks at the “classic” writers, female writers, and minority writers of Suburbia to see how their takes compare. Most texts do not cover all three types of authors when analyzing the suburbs, making this dissertation unique. Pagano uses a wide range of evidence, creating new opportunities for more research on Suburbia. While the perspective is distinctive, the dissertation format slightly weakens the text.
Pleasantville. Directed by Gary Ross, Larger Than Life Productions, 1998.
Sandul, Paul. “Review: New Histories of Representing American Suburbs: Race, Place, and Memory.” American Studies, vol. 55, no. 2, 2016, pp. 29–40. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/44982587. Accessed 21 February 2024.
Silverstone, Roger. Visions of Suburbia. Routledge, 1997.
Visions of Suburbia is a collection edited by Silverstone on Suburbia. The piece relays the suburbs as a material space, way of life, and mass of images. The book includes various authors, which broadens the idea of the suburbs presented by Silverstone. Since it is separated into sections, the reader can quickly find different perspectives. However, the book lacks a narrative structure. The varying themes of sexualization, irony, and domesticity allow him to dive deeper into the suburbs than other sources.
Stranger Things. Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, 2004–Present.
The Stepford Wives. Directed by Bryan Forbes, Palomar Pictures, 1975.
Wandavision. Created by Jac Schaeffer, Marvel Studios, 2021.
Wandavision is a television show in the Marvel Cinematic Universe involving the superhero Wanda. She takes control of a small suburban town and reformats it to match sitcoms from the past. Shows referenced in Wandavision include The Dick van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy, Malcolm in the Middle, and Modern Family. The plot reveals these TV shows as Wanda’s happy place, showing how sitcoms affect people. However, Wandavision is complicated, referencing past Marvel Cinematics Universe productions that average audiences may not understand.
Webster, Roger, editor. Expanding Suburbia: Reviewing Suburban Narratives. Vol. 6, Berghahn, 2000.
Expanding Suburbia: Reviewing Suburban Narratives is a collection of suburban representations in literature, film, and music. It emphasizes the two primary instances of suburban growth: the early 20th century and postwar. One essay, “Between Subdivisions and Shopping Malls,” draws attention to the facets of American subdivisions usually not discussed. Many suburban resources sidestep the cultural aspect of Suburbia, but Webster dives deep. Also, he covers essays on global perspectives of suburban development in film, showing how different cultures interact with Suburbia. The book is outdated, only displaying the cultural narratives from 2000.
Part Two:
The suburbs might be one of the most talked about and engaged with themes surrounding filmmaking, literature, and urban planning. Please don’t quote me on that, though. As my major is urban planning, I am familiar with suburbanization, white flight, redlining, and other topics typically involved in Suburbia. The presentness of the suburbs in the minds of historians and creators makes sense because many of us grew up or visited friends in those neighborhoods. We have positive and negative memories driving around a metaphorical cul-de-sac in our heads. Based on my research on this topic, two types of suburbs exist in discourse: the Real Suburb and the Fantastical Suburb. However, we can then break down the Fantastical Suburb into the Remembered Suburb and the Satirical Suburb. These four types of suburbs seem to exist across all media, and I found many examples while compiling my bibliography. This whole separation of suburban ideals is something I came across while researching, and it surprised me. While I did not necessarily read a source regarding this distinction, I was able to iron it out myself and start preparing ideas for an essay related to this theme. Before researching, I knew I would write about the suburbs, but I was unsure where I wanted the essay to take me. Luckily, this revelation came early in forming the bibliography, and I could think about it while perusing for sources.
One of my first steps in writing the bibliography was rethinking movies and TV shows to see if I could elucidate a suburban connection. I had watched all of Modern Family — one of those shows I binged during COVID — and had yet to think about how it represented a type of Suburbia. After looking into some of my sources, it is unbelievable how present suburban Los Angeles is in the show, almost to the extent of being a character. To signify a transition between the plots and main characters in Modern Family, the creators typically show the character’s house exterior. As an example of Suburbia, these transitions were evident when reading sources like the quick comparison article from Arabian. He also brought up other films I had previously watched that had not even occurred to me as being “suburban,” like Halloween, one of my favorite horror movies. He writes how the main character, Laurie Strode, knocks on the doors of her suburban neighborhood when running away from Michael Myers, but no one answers. Arabian says this small scene shows the individuality and complacency inherent in the suburban lifestyle, a take I had not heard before.
Another two sources I came across while assembling my bibliography: are Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs and Wandavision. The Suburbs is a rock album all about reminiscing on time spent growing up in those neighborhoods with winding pavements and having to drive your mom’s car to escape. Wandavision is a TV show and a love letter to all the famous sitcoms before it. These two examples helped me understand and hone in on understanding the Remembered Suburb. I have memories of those sprawling streets, running through backyards and hopping over fences, and watching older sitcoms with my family, making the references in Wandavision even more present. In the back of my mind, I knew the connection to Suburbia, but I do not think I ever really contemplated it.
I would love to write a multi-media analytical essay about Suburbia and its place in modern society. The suburbs are one of those facets that exist in real material space but have an entirely different construction in social consciousness. There are different types of suburbs, which I tried to reconcile with some sources writing against the stereotypical white picket fence imagery. However, most people will imagine the mythical cul-de-sac when I write “suburb.” For the multi-media essay, it would be interesting to have clips of songs, films, or TV shows instead of describing the scene as I would in a typical analysis. I also think this topic could fit the narrative nonfiction genre, using my story as the background narrative and incorporating some evidence from the annotated bibliography.
The research process helped me form my topic and understand the context of “suburbia” across the decades. I looked at the accurate depictions of suburban life in Bill Owen’s Suburbia of 1973 for the historical background and works like Huq’s Making Sense of Suburbia through Popular Culture to understand the modern scenario. Fictional popular media helps me know how these academic writings fit into the social perspective of Suburbia.