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August 19, 2004
I didn't like
"Pulp Fiction" It took a year or so
that much when of thinking about it
I saw it. before I think I
finally got it.
One thing that seemed weird
to me is that it really John Dickson Carr on
wasn't very much like the pulp magazine:
actual pulp fiction.
"Cheap only in
Real pulp was a very being moderately
romantic fiction, often priced it
about vigilante justice, provided
but the framework excitement for
remained one of honorable the youthful or
heroes fighting to right the stay-at-home,
the wrongs of the world. instilling a
morality as rigid
Always "fighting crime", as any Sunday
though the main character School's."
may himself have been
"outside the law".
For them, crime was
not a technical There are crimes
legal category... against Humanity
The film "Pulp Fiction" and crimes
is a story of sleazy against God, and
gangsters being sleazy sometimes the
without much in the way legal system
of good guys being good. itself is one
such crime.
It's a much more
modern kind of (Or maybe: We are
story, having "Pulp" confused raised
little to do with with "Noir"?) on tales
the pulp of the of anarchy...
30s and 40s.
ANARCHY
One touch that did
make sense though,
was the way the
John Travolta
I didn't get it character was
until much, much always reading a
later: "Pulp Modesty Blaise
Fiction" is a novel in the bathroom.
story about
people ruled by
fantasies and Modesty Blaise,
pretentions. now *that's* pulp.
BLAZING
It's not intended Tarentino is
to be pulp supposedly
fiction itself, interested in
rather it's about trying to do a
people with "pulp film version of
fiction" stuck in Modesty Blaise,
their heads, brain which would be
people who are pulp interesting to
trying to write fiction see...)
themselves into
stories. I'm not holding
my breath. That
And there's a seems like one
strong suggestion of the great
that the Bible is doomed
just another projects.
example of Pulp.
None of the other
But the reasons attempts at
everyone loved translating it
this movie (and to film have
the reasons I gotten anywhere
didn't) have near the mark.
little to do
with this.
On the surface,
this is a story
featuring
completely
worthless, We used
contemptible to call these
villains as main "anti-heroes".
characters...
I think that's
what people (Well... that and
like about it. the sound track.)
Once anathema, Whatever that
now contemporary means: anathema?
America laps
this stuff up. Against
theme?
I hate to sound all
goody-two-shoes, but
this worries me.
An even more prime example
was "The Silence of the Lambs"
I knew people who took the
Hannibal Lecter character as
some sort of existential
anti-hero, demonstrating his
Well, there have always been superiority to the, uh,
some fairly twisted subtexts sheep-like masses.
to popular fiction if you
look closely... The formula But it seems obvious to me that if
used to be that you could he were *really* superior he wouldn't
write stories about nasty be playing these stupid games. The
main characters all you want, Superior Man does not go around
*provided* that they met murdering inferiors for fun.
with Bad Ends (however
perfunctory and unconvincing
those ends might have been).
And the villains have
often been screens on
which to project the
inner desires of the An example of this sort of
audience. thing is "Basic Instinct",
where people couldn't even Sharon Stone
The worrying thing is be bothered to *tsk tsk* claiming
that it's no longer about the villainess-hero. that they
considered a tricked her
requirement to keep Well, I guess into doing a
this stuff under there in some slit shot,
wraps. It's now just circles there struck me
assumed as an obvious was some sort of as a nice
fact that of course controversy cover story.
we'd all really like about it being
to be vicious killers, anti-gay, but The next thing
if only we could get that's silly. you know women
away with it. will be
She was evil and "accidentally"
(Hence, SUV sales.) bisexual. So you flashing their
could try to spin tits on
this as being television.
anti-bisexual,
But then, even before this except that Is it an
trend, it's always been a everyone seemed encouraging
puzzle to me how people can to want to *be* sign that
survive on a staple diet of her. So I think they feel
morality plays of one sort they missed the the need to
or another, and then just point. indulge in
walk away from it and go this
back to living their (I guess the hypocrisy?
whatever-I-can-get-away-with Michael Douglas
lives. character said Weak props
some nasty things for slim
There's some sort of to a lesbian, but hopes
"don't try this at I don't remember
home" label stuck on them being all
all aspects of fiction. that nasty really,
and he was a chump
I wouldn't want to any way.)
exaggerate the
importance of the
influence of
fictional on the real.
Maybe we'd be better off
if it had more influence.
And of course:
It doesn't bother me
if us intellectuals
feel like in indulging
in anti-social
fantasies and Naked
Lunches.
I worry that the
benighted masses
might not be be
able to handle it.
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