Literary and artistic expression in situation comedy : self-reflexivity and the surreal in "Green Acres"

Metafiction is characteristic of postmodernism. Few have examined meta-television and its use of the literary device self-reflexivity, which occurs when television acknowledges other television literature or is aware of the tv industry apparatus that creates itself. This study examined one series, "Green Acres" and investigated the question: What are the roles of self-reflexivity and self-reference?

A textual analysis was performed to examine the characters, setting, themes, and dialogue in order to identify self-reflexive techniques. This study reviewed more than 150 episodes and considered other studies of cinematic and televisual reflexivity, the state of television comedy during the 1960s, and the transitions that affected the genre.

The writers of "Green Acres" recognized television as a cultural force and were aware that audiences had consumed years of television. By combining the awareness of television with a surrealistic perspective, the creators of "Green Acres" put forth a world that was illogical and hallucinatory as if it were a statement about the world we live in.