Thursday, June 23, 2011

E-PULP VS PULP FICTION

I'm not sure if I have coined a new word or genre or not, but I think the new low price for an Ebook is very similar to the old Pulp books and mags. Below is a history of the Pulp era. read it and let me know what you think.

Article written by 'The Vintage Library'

What Is Pulp Fiction

Term originated from the magazines of the first half of the 20th century which were printed on cheap "pulp" paper and published fantastic, escapist fiction for the general entertainment of the mass audiences. The pulp fiction era provided a breeding ground for creative talent which would influence all forms of entertainment for decades to come. The hardboiled detective and science fiction genres were created by the freedom that the pulp fiction magazines provided.
The Spider
Pulp Fiction is a term used to describe a huge amount of creative writing available to the American public in the early nineteen-hundreds. Termed "pulp magazines" because of the low quality paper used between the covers, these publications proliferated in the nineteen-thirties and nineteen-forties to the point where they blanketed newsstands in just about every popular fiction genre of the time.
Although the pages in-between the covers were a dingy cheap quality, the covers were beautifully decorated, many times with lurid portraits of pretty women in various stages of trouble, and the handsome men attempting to rescue them.
By under-paying writers and publishing on in-expensive media, pulp publishers were able to charge 10 cents for an issue containing several stories. Low prices drew in many working-class young adults and teenagers, who could not otherwise afford some of the more pricier magazines of the day.
The low price of the pulp magazine, coupled with the skyrocketing literacy rates, all contributed to the success of the medium. Pulps allowed its readers to experience people, places, and action they normally would not have access to.
Bigger-than-life heroes, pretty girls, exotic places, strange and mysterious villains all stalked the pages of the many issues available to the general public on the magazine stands. And without television widely available, much of the free time of the working literate class was spent pouring through the pages of the pulps.
World War Two brought paper rationing and increased paper prices. Also, some believe that the real horrors of the war replaced the fictional horrors found between the cover of the pulps. The once popular magazines began to lose readership and disappeared from the newsstand, one-by-one, replaced by paperbacks, comic books, television and movies.
Today, the short story has changed into a different breed of creative writing, leaving the stories found in the pulp magazines a unique offering. But, beyond the legacy of entertaining stories, pulp fiction must be given some credit for the evolution of literature and popular fiction heroes of today. Many authors that got their start in the pulp magazines grew to be great writers that changed the landscape of popular fiction. Writers such as Carroll John Daly changed the detective fiction story from the staid whodunits popularized in Great Britain to the more "hard-boiled" version where the bad guy was bad and the detective was tough and street-smart.
Edgar Rice Burroughs was another pulp writer, who helped to define the science fiction story into what it is today. The other well-known alumnae of the pulps include Max Brand, H.P. Lovecraft, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Ray Bradbury. And of course, there were the legions of other authors, less well-known today, that had an equally important hand in forming popular fiction.
Even though some details are dated because of social, technological, and historical developments, the stories found in the pulp era are still an entertaining read. They still offer action-packed adventure, on par with any of today's television shows, and heroes who are lively, entertaining characters.
Enjoy your exploration into this vast world of fiction!

3 comments:

  1. Kevin Lynn HelmickJune 23, 2011 at 7:57 PM

    I have always enjoyed this stuff,always loved the covers art that some are now highly desired and collectable. It's hard to find outside of flea markets or maybe your dads or grandfathers hidden treasure trunks in the garage attics.
    The story's are not always great, and often predictable, but the characters and dialouge; campy and colorful and these kinds of authors are completely unaware of themselves in the writing which jusy makes for a purely enjoyable escape.
    Hardcase crime is a fairly new publisher thats activly seeking this genure of writing and re publishing some of those long out of print gems.
    Great post, I'm going to write one, one of these days with a couple charcters and a title that have been re occuring in my head for a while now
    Eddie Dane-wwII vet and ex Chicago cop turned private eye.
    Shirley Lovett, fem fatal, favorite call girl to chi town mob boss, who loves Eddie in own dangerous way.

    I have more, but one day, one day

    ReplyDelete
  2. E-Pulp, I love it. I think you're on to something, Mike.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Mike,
    I like your blog. Lots going on here. Interesting stuff! Marli

    ReplyDelete