Postmodernism and Pulp Fiction (1994)

Fig 1. Pulp Fiction (1994) poster

Pulp Fiction (1994) by Quentin Tarantino is a film about two different storylines – one involving two
hitmen and a mysterious briefcase the other about a boxer, named Butch and his fight with a powerful
crime boss Marsellus Wallace and finding his true self all told in anachronistic order. By the end of the
film the characters go through an arc of redemption, realizing that their killing and murdering may do
more harm to others than good. This review delves into how the film is a post-modern work that use
traits and techniques derived from postmodernism such as deconstruction and hyperreality and how
they factor into the production of the film.

In May of 1994 Quentin Tarantino and the Weinstein company showcased the formers latest film Pulp
Fiction (1994) at the Cannes Film Festival. It won the Palme d'Or award and became a sensation within
weeks. One of the first reviews for it was from Variety by Todd McCarthy. In it he describes Tarantino
as and his production to the reader and states “Some may feel that the film sags in spots due to the
director’s tendency to try to stretch conceits as far as he can”, “daring to explore the limits of his
material, winding up on his feet and beating the sophomore jinx in the process” (McCarthy, 1994). It
is evident that it appears Tarantino explores and experiments with his material and by extension the
medium of film and what audiences are generally comfortable with. The film is split into segments
covering the same and different characters from alternating points in time and space. Whereas a more
traditional film would arguably take a more straightforward approach to storytelling by having a clear
3 arc structure, or even just telling the segments chronologically, Tarantino eschews instead for the
aforementioned anachronistic style.

Fig 2. Vince and Jules in a car

Tarantino opts for an unconventional method of storytelling because in terms of postmodernism there
is no established truth so therefore there’s no proper way to tell a story. What Tarantino does do to
conventional is deconstruct it. There is a chronology to the events in the film but Tarantino, as a result
of deconstruction which gained significance through postmodernism, decides to pick apart the film
treating it more as a book flipping to chapter to chapter instead of a linear narrative films usually
utilize. According to the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy “A deconstructive reading, then, does
not assert or impose meaning, but marks out places where the function of the text works against its
apparent meaning, or against the history of its interpretation” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ,
2005). It is within the film that Tarantino deconstructs the conventional narrative. Time is non-linear
in the production unlike others. Vince Vega’s death is shown before his arc is complete.

Hyperreality is interwoven in the text and themes of the film. In his book Simulation and simulacra
Jean Baudrillard refers to the nature of hyperreality as an “incessant circulation of choices, readings,
references, marks, decoding. Here cultural objects, as elsewhere the objects of consumption, have no
other end than to maintain you in a state of mass integration, of transistorized flux, of a magnetized
molecule” (Baudrillard, 1981). Characters will often discuss thoroughly about film, television, pop
culture and the nature of fast food in other countries. Tarantino appears to pay an immense amount
of homage of genres; horror, comedy, satire, the whole world of film. One scene takes place in a bar
styled after the crisp, colourful diners of the 1950s with many of the waiters and waitresses dressed
as actors and characters from around the era.

Fig 3. Mia and Vince Dancing

In his book Pulp Fiction : The Complete Story of Quentin Tarantino's Masterpiece, Jason Bailey argues
“that crucial distinction – between references for the sake of references and references that define
the storytellers universe, and propel it-is what separates Tarantino from the scores of imitators who
sprung up in the wake of Pulp Fiction’s (1994) astonishing success. It is not enough to have a
encyclopaedic knowledge of film and to toss in smirky, elbow in-the ribs quotations” (Bailey, 2013).
As demonstrated roughly 20 minutes into the film the characters Vince Vega and Jules Winnfield
discuss pilots of television shows and crime thrillers not only as nods to such works and to suggest the
auteur love of such but to also make the characters feel like real people rather marionettes tasked
with spewing dialogue. The films poster featuring Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace is also reminiscent
of old pulp magazine covers for previous decades.
 Fig 4. Still from Pulp Fiction (1994) of Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield

In Conclusion the film engages in postmodernism by having a deconstructed style of storytelling where
time and space are anachronistic and the arcs of characters end before the credits roll. It also utilizes
hyperreality so that

Fig 1. Pulp Fiction (1994) [poster] At: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pulp-Fiction-Cover-Poster-91-

5cm/dp/B001UTI2KA From 08/10/2019 From 07/10/2019

Fig 2. Vince and Jules in a car, Pulp Fiction (1994) [still] At:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2wb07OPppk From 27/06/2009

Fig 3. Mia and Vincent dance, Pulp Fiction (1994) [still] At: https://www.bustle.com/articles/68636-
the-pulp-fiction-dance-scene-set-to-shake-it-off-is-literally-why-the-internet-exists From 09/03/2015

Fig 4. Still from Pulp Fiction (1994) [still] At:

https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Vincent_Vega_and_Jules_Winnfield From 10/02/2017

Bibliography
Bailey, J. (2013). Pulp Fiction : The Complete Story of Quentin Tarantino's Masterpiece. New York:
Quarto Publishing Group USA.

Baudrillard, J. (1981). Simulacra and Simulation. Chicago: University of Michigan Press.

McCarthy, T. (1994, May 23). Pulp Fiction. Retrieved from Variety:

https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/pulp-fiction-1200437049/

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy . (2005, September 30). Postmodernism. Retrieved from

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/postmodernism/#5