How Would You Define Pulp?

[Mick A]

I've been having a chat on another forum about what Pulp is and I was wondering if you chaps here would like to say what you think it is.

To me its 1930's adventure where the heroes will do anything to rescue the girl, villains will do anything to rid the world of heroes, scientists in event weird and wonderful contraptions and supernatural powers can be used for good or evil... It doesn't bother me if its sci-fi such as Flash Gordon, high adventure such as Doc Savage or supernatural such as The Shadow but the other chap says that pulp is only things such as Dick Tracy and the fantastical and sci-fi comes under 'Decopunk' and 'Dieselpunk', two terms I had not heard of up until then (and dislike already!). I mean 'Decopunk'?, are there two words that mean more opposite than them?

So, your views chaps...?

Mick

[former user]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_magazine#Genres

[Plynkes]

Hurrah! This again. 

Pulp is not really a time-period or a genre. You can have Pulp Westerns, Pulp Romance, Pulp Fantasy, Pulp Sci-Fi. Conan is Pulp. It is rapidly-churned out, often lurid exploitation fiction printed in some cheap medium, such as the magazines of the 30s, or the pulp novels of later times. It isn't a time period. Pulp fiction can be set in any time.

I realise that wargamers have their own definition that differs from this, but they are wrong.  

[former user]

Pulp fiction can be set in any time.

I would like to disagree just a bit on the above matter, as pulp has to be in the spirit that ruled after the "Fall of the Empires", when the "natural order" was turned upside down forever, so after the Great War. Or whenever the former aspect applies 

[Mick A]

Plynkes, I totally agree. The terms Decopunk and Dieselpunk really got my hackles up though, the same happened with Steampunk which is just a hip, fashionable name for VSF...

Mick

[Smillie]

I agree with you mick re the two punk names mentioned, they strike me as a bit pedantic. No offence intended towards any one who uses them.

[Plynkes]

I am in total agreement with you, Mick. The modern fashion for putting "punk" on the end of everything strikes me as imbecilic hipsterism.


former user, I don't agree that is fundamental to Pulp in the slightest, though it may well be present in some examples. That very wikipedia article you yourself linked to just now contains numerous examples of Pulp Fiction that don't fit your description.

[Smillie]

I would personally define pulp as trash, and I don't mean that in a nasty way. Basically any silly slightly cheesy nonsense that is great fun but unrealistic with regards to how the era or situation would usually be defined.


So Conan, over the top nazies in space, dodgy cowboy films that ignore the horror of 50 guys being shot in the street by the sheriff etc

I love pulp stuff so I'm not knocking it just saing that's my sort of fast and loose definition of pulp.

[Plynkes]

As far as I can tell Steampunk is about dressing as a Victorian prostitute who has just been doing some welding.

[Mick A]

As far as I can tell Steampunk is about dressing as a Victorian prostitute who has just been doing some welding.

 

[Hildred Castaigne]

I am in total agreement with you, Mick. The modern fashion for putting "punk" on the end of everything strikes me as imbecilic hipsterism.

Thank goodness for suffixes!
Otherwise we might have to think...  

Although it is really handy to have a snappy term for a genre, it never does the subject justice.
It almost seems to stifle creativity by creating 'right and wrong' representations of the subject.

[starkadder]

Aaarrgh. The karkenpulp returns.

Plynkes and Smillie have it.

Pulp is whatever you want in a heightened fictional style. It crosses all genres and, pay attention, is not a genre but a style.

Therefore I can write a Western pulp, a Sci-Fi pulp, a noir pulp, a lesbian pulp (and there are hundreds of those) and so on.

I can write a heap of things from any genre in Latin. That is a style NOT a genre. As it is in pulp.

You can not nail jelly to a wall. Stop trying. Just enjoy the fantastic free-association possibilities of a style that is tailor made for our hobby.

My rant is almost done. I loathe sticking -punk on everything and calling it as a Thing. I was there when punk appeared, I lived a punk lifestyle for quite a while. As Plynkes observes, dressing in Victorian drag does not make it so.

[Johnno]

imbecilic hipsterism

I may have to borrow that term

[former user]

That very wikipedia article you yourself linked to just now contains numerous examples of Pulp Fiction that don't fit your description.

Very true
the Wiki link was just a hint in which direction to look, the other one is my personal oppinion from observation.
(I would be really surprised to read a Wiki article that is unbiased and matches my personal view )
I don't have a problem with the contradiction  But I will think about Your point

oh, here is another link that might prove interesting
http://www.pulprack.com/pulp-literature.html

[Prof. Dinglebat. Phd.]

Pulp is what you attach every politically incorrectness and generalization to, and not feel any guilt or embarrassment for doing so. In fact the more of these you attach, the more it seem's to become an accurate representation

Prof. Dinglebat Phd. (Copyright )