Pulp

Several people have asked about a definition of pulp for our upcoming class. As with many pop culture phenomenon pulp can be an elusive concept, for our purposes we are going to at least start with a classic definition. Pulp fiction refers to the authors who wrote for inexpensive publications printed on cheap (pulp) paper. While we are specifically looking at science fiction, and even more specifically at Amazing Stories, pulp was not limited to sci fi. It might even be fair to say that pulp was better know for adventure stories and detective stories.

So if the cheap paper physically characterized pulp, what might be its characteristics as fiction. Pulp Fiction (not the movie) was often sensational, tantalizing, over the top, and generally considered low brow. While many writers who cut their teeth publishing in pulp magazines have gone on to gain respect (often after their death), at the time it was considered something of a literary ghetto.

For more, check out "What is Pulp Fiction" and the Wikipedia entry on Science Fiction Magazines has a list of sci fi pulps.