Pulp Novels: a Golden Age of Fiction
Joshua Winchester
Prof. Melissa Winters
English Comp
Persuasive Research Essay Final Revised
December 6, 2011
Pulp Novels: A Golden Age of Fiction Imagine a young boy walking down the street during the worst days of the Great Depression. He stops at a newsstand, and pulls out a dime from a nearly worn pants pocket. Holding the dime in his hand, he surveys the long rows of magazines with their glossy covers and wild titles. Upon selecting a magazine, he surrenders his dime to the newsman, then hurries home to sit in his room, wide-eyed and filled with excitement at his purchase. The pulp novels of the 1930’s and 40’s are a form of fiction worth reading, due to their rich history, exciting characters and the fact that many pulp novel authors would go on to write actual novels later in their careers. What is a pulp novel? Simply put, a pulp novel is a magazine printed on paper made from the leftovers in paper mill vats. But the more elaborate definition is that pulp novels are imagination expanders. They are capable of taking a reader and transporting them into worlds beyond imagination. Pulp novel historian John Dinan says, “There was a pulp […] magazine for all tastes: Western, science fiction, romance, detective, horror, railroad adventures and so forth-the subject matter was endless” (57). Pulp magazines were a literary form that “had many millions more readers than did Scott Fitzgerald” (Bosworth 57). For the better part of three decades, pulp magazines delighted readers of all ages, children to adults.
To many, pulp magazines are a source of constant wonder and delight. But for some, they are regarded with disgust. Many academic historians feel that “popular culture clutters people’s heads with ideas that prevent them from accepting the professional’s account of what really happened” (Rotella 30). Rotella believes, though, “professionals in an elite capital of disenchanted modernity may be especially sensitive to the pull of reenchantment” (Rotella
Prof. Melissa Winters
English Comp
Persuasive Research Essay Final Revised
December 6, 2011
Pulp Novels: A Golden Age of Fiction Imagine a young boy walking down the street during the worst days of the Great Depression. He stops at a newsstand, and pulls out a dime from a nearly worn pants pocket. Holding the dime in his hand, he surveys the long rows of magazines with their glossy covers and wild titles. Upon selecting a magazine, he surrenders his dime to the newsman, then hurries home to sit in his room, wide-eyed and filled with excitement at his purchase. The pulp novels of the 1930’s and 40’s are a form of fiction worth reading, due to their rich history, exciting characters and the fact that many pulp novel authors would go on to write actual novels later in their careers. What is a pulp novel? Simply put, a pulp novel is a magazine printed on paper made from the leftovers in paper mill vats. But the more elaborate definition is that pulp novels are imagination expanders. They are capable of taking a reader and transporting them into worlds beyond imagination. Pulp novel historian John Dinan says, “There was a pulp […] magazine for all tastes: Western, science fiction, romance, detective, horror, railroad adventures and so forth-the subject matter was endless” (57). Pulp magazines were a literary form that “had many millions more readers than did Scott Fitzgerald” (Bosworth 57). For the better part of three decades, pulp magazines delighted readers of all ages, children to adults.
To many, pulp magazines are a source of constant wonder and delight. But for some, they are regarded with disgust. Many academic historians feel that “popular culture clutters people’s heads with ideas that prevent them from accepting the professional’s account of what really happened” (Rotella 30). Rotella believes, though, “professionals in an elite capital of disenchanted modernity may be especially sensitive to the pull of reenchantment” (Rotella