The Pulp Novel
October 31, 2008
As much as I get annoyed at books that don’t challenge the reader and don’t force us to think, there is something I almost miss about the popularity of pulp novels. For one thing I novel the cover art, it’s overly emotional and intense and it just sends a powerful message. Of course that message is a direct reflection of the writing that on the surface the novel will be colorful and interesting, but much like the faces of the characters on the cover it is devoid of real passion behind the eyes. I guess the other thing that I miss is that reading wasn’t something you just did on the plane, that it was a past time. That reading was a part of what we did to help expand our minds and build out our understanding of the world. Maybe some day when TVs around the world suddenly die, we will all turn back to the ways of reading. Until then I am sure you can still find an old pulp novel laying around somewhere.
