Postmodernism

Pulp Fiction

1) A key factor in play throughout pulp fiction is Intertextuality. The film makes references to multiple genres throughout such as gangster, boxing, war, musical, romance, arthouse and Blaxploitation (A 1970s genre of films specifically targeted at people of black ethnicity). A factor highly criticised by some but responded to by Taratino’s quote at sight and sound 1998 ‘If your writing a black dialect, there are certain words you need to make it musical and “nigger” is one of them… Sam Jackson uses “nigger” all the time in his speech, that’s just who he is and where he comes from… Also im a white guy who’s not afraid os that word. I just don’t feel the whole white guilt and pussyfooting around race issues. I’m completely above that’. A key scene in the film is that in the trendy diner Jack Rabbit Slim’s and is full of references to 1950s movies and stars.

Pulp Fiction tends to use fairly traditional forms of editing for continuity and cinematography by conventional editing and lighting. However there are several disruptions to the Hollywood style for example shots of the backs of Jules and Vincents heads, some unusually long takes and probably most notable of all the scene in which Mia mimes drawing a square which then unexpectedly appears on the screen.

Another element of postmodernism in the film is the lack of any specific setting in location or time in history. However the present or early 1990s seems to be referenced ambiguously in the McDonalds chat scene, Jules cellular phone and the talk of body piercing. However there are a lot of retro culture references such as music from the 60s and 70s, Vinces 1974 Chevy car and the style of some dialogue create an ambiguous area of no time.

The tone in the way the film deals with feelings and emotions about killings is disorientating. Vonce is killed absurdly on the toilet reading a piece of fiction just as Butches toaster alarm goes off and his pop tarts pop up. Other scenes feature off hand shootings in which the killer will not even be looking at the victim in a shocking juxtaposition. 

2) In both these cases, Pulp Fiction is showing generic situations with moments of the everyday pervading the narrative fabric. In fact, in postmodern terms, what the text is offering is the fourth stage of Baudrillard's 'four stages of real' - the hyper real. 

As Baudrillard himself states in Simulacra and Simulations, the first to third stages are variations upon an 'appearance', whilst in the fourth stage 'it is no longer in the order of appearance at all, but of simulation.' Stage one's concept of 'real' is based on an appearance, hence appearing like a generic tale, whereas the fourth stage's hyper real presents the removing of this 'appearance' - this generic content - and showing moments of trueness, or as Baudrillard refers to them, 'simulacra'.
 This element of the hyper real is key to an understanding of Pulp Fiction, forming the theoretical justification for structural, thematic and textual details as will be discussed later.

Pulp Fiction is split into three small stories - 'Vincent Vega and Marcellus Wallace's Wife', 'The Gold Watch' and 'The Bonnie Situation' - encapsulated by what is perhaps best described as a preface and prologue at the very beginning and very end of the film. 

These are the metanarratives that Lyotard speaks of when he speaks of postmodernism's 'incredulity towards metanarratives', and the narratives that Barry refers to when he speaks of the shift away from ''Grand Narratives' of ... human perfectibility' towards 'metanarratives which are provisional, contingent, temporary ... and which provide a basis for the actions of specific groups in particular local circumstances' (Jean-François Lyotard and Peter Barry in Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, Manchester University Press, 1995). 

In terms of both the crime and pulp genres these 'mininarratvies' are as Tarantino states himself (in interview), 'the oldest chestnuts in the book': for example, the small-time gangster having to take the boss' wife out to dinner hoping nothing will go wrong, the boxer who is supposed to throw his big fight but decides instead to try and make off with the money and the cliche of the 'hitmen' who with professional accuracy make their kill and depart. 

 Except that, as most noticeable in this final case, Pulp Fiction moves outside these generic stories since instead of ending each of these narratives in the conventional place the narrative continues in an attempt to show what occurs outside the traditional stock elements.

For instance, Vincent and Jules go to Brett's apartment to recover the briefcase of Marcellus and with the utmost professionalism (the whole affair taking place in approximately 15 minutes of real time) execute Brett and his friends before making off with the briefcase and 'their man' Marvin. This is the stock tale that a generic text would utilise and at this point in such a tale the narrative would stop.

  In Pulp Fiction, however, after Vincent and Jules have 'miraculously' avoided being hit by any of the fourth man's bullets, they do indeed as Jules says, 'continue this discussion in the car' and hence we see Vincent and Jules continuing their animated discussion regarding miracles whilst driving in the L.A. morning sunshine.

Tarantino declares that these are stories that we have seen before, but never played out in such a way: indeed, they are 'genre situations unravelled in real ways.' 

Blood Hound Gang Music Video

The Blood Hound Gang’s ‘The Bad Touch’ and Postmodernism

A clear example of post modernity in this video is displayed through its sheer amounts of vulgarity and inappropriateness. The constant lyrical and visual sexual references are designed to shock an audience and oppose everything that is socially acceptable. This is also demonstrated in such features of the music video as eating bugs, kidnapping midget mimes and beating homosexuals. The Blood Hound Gang is interesting for turning a blind eye on authority, and for portraying the mainstream genres like pop, and hip-hop as wrong. The resistance to authority and power on each of the band member’s parts is portrayed as one through the unity of their monkey outfits. However, it can be argued that they themselves are to accepting authority by the way they all conform into the same persona displayed by their appearance conveying them as the same faceless entity that they despise. But this is a short lived thought, as it can also be stronger argued that the outfits are too highlight the fact that everyone is undistinguishable between one and other creating the idea of being simple monkeys. Behind this initial layer of anarchism and rebellion there is a still an individuated desires to become mainstream through their comedic acts displaying a desire to be liked by others. Furthermore, it portrays women as objects and keeps the male gaze on them as they are sexualised through the way they walk and appear.