Pulp Fiction

Book excerpt: Pulp Fiction was one of the films that defined American cinema of the 1990s, and remains one of the stand-out movies of its director Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino's style - violent, fast, funny and full of knowing pop culture references - epitomises 90s post-modernism. Pulp Fiction was a phenomenal cult success and one of the first films to generate hot debate in internet chatrooms and on fan websites. Dana Polan's compelling analysis sets out to uncover the style and technique of Pulp Fiction. He shows how broad Tarantino's points of reference are, and analyzes the film's narrative accomplishment and complexity. Where some critics dismissed Pulp Fiction for its violence and its worship of a certain brand of cool, Polan shows how the film exemplifies new kinds of engagement with cultural and social codes, such as those around racial identity. In addition, Polan argues that the film's celebration of macho attitudes is more nuanced than might first appear. In a new afterword to this new edition, Polan looks back on Pulp Fiction 30 years after its first release.