The slides for today talk about the rise of SF in pulp magazines beginning in the late 1920s and through the 1930s. Judging from the contents of Weinbaum’s stories and the material in the slides, who do you think read these magazines? What would be the likely demographic categories? Men? Women? Old? Young? Black? White? Affluent? Working-class? Feel free to consider other categories. In a paragraph or two, explain how one bit of specific evidence—a moment or language in Weinbaum’s stories or a detail from a particular cover posted in the slides—guides your thinking.
5 thoughts on “Who’s Reading the Pulps? (Group 2)”
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In “Parasite Planet’s” first two paragraphs, the descriptions of Venus’s seasons hint at the expected audience of this story. The fact that Weinbaum is likening the planet’s climate to Latin American or African areas – such as the Amazon basin and the Congo – suggests that the target audience is (broadly) American (maybe European). Weinbaum could have mentioned any number of places in the USA to hint at the extreme climates he describes (New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, and California) but does not. Instead, he defers to the colonizer’s fetish places, places one is used to perceiving as distant and conquerable. I think the idea of American, British, French, and Dutch colonies on Venus we encounter further in the reading reaffirm this. Furthermore, I immediately had the impression that I was dealing with the archetypal ‘lone American male protagonist’ or “frontiersman” as Weinbaum puts it (also suggesting a white audience of teenagers to young adults – though nothing discourages older readers). Much of the story is descriptive of Ham’s interactions with various aspects of life on Venus hence his role as protagonist – but that is also a positive aspect for me because it is the part most stimulating to the imagination. Finally, the entire dynamic between Ham and Patricia suggests the story is meant for a male audience, though it is still flexible enough to maybe interest some women (though I am skeptical due to the nature of the cover art of pulp magazines we see in the slides, and the fact that we are dealing with clichés of female behavior/expectations). Additionally, the information in the slides suggests that the intended readership is meant to be broad, across a wide range of classes, especially because the magazines are accessible and low cost. Finally, I think that while “A Martian Odyssey” is more exploratory in its narrative, more imaginary and interesting, especially because of this rapport established with an alien element (as the slides mention), it still falls into more or less the same pattern regarding its treatment of the foreign members of Jarvis’s team (like the accent of Putz and Leroy), and the pattern of the brave frontiersman. All in all, I would agree with the slides about the ambivalence of SF. The best aspects about it are its accessibility and its departure from realism (at least when it comes to context/environment) but it still projects the societal expectations of its time when it comes to the protagonist and his interactions with these new realms, which I think is something that is expected. In some cases to attract readership authors need to (or are pushed to) add in some of these elements even if it is not their main intent.
I have always considered Science Fiction a genre meant for people to let go of the days worry and teleport to world where they can forget about their own problems. I think Science Fiction can also be a way for one to daydream and jumpstart their own imagination for the future. The emergence of Science Fiction in Pulps is no different. As Joseph points out the cheap price of Pulps implies they’re meant for the everyday American. I also think these stories are meant for a younger audience. This is because of the points raised in slide 2. Pulps had colorful covers that illustrated eye catching moments to draw in their readers, and some of these illustrated events did not even take place in the story. These misleading covers are essentially the first version of “click baiting” which regularly takes place on YouTube. Click baiting is including a thumbnail photo which intrigues viewers, but usually is not actually in the video. Just as how click baiting is used to draw in more younger viewers in YouTbue I think Pulps colorful cover do the same.
These stories certainly seem to be targeted towards a male audience. This is clear from the consistent use of the damsel in distress cover. In addition, most stories seem to cast a male hero who almost always has a love connection. Even in “A Martian Odyssey” which in the slides is argued to have a more progressive view still creates a love connection for our male hero, Dick Jarvis, who is so allured by his vision of his love that he runs headfirst into danger. Taking into account the cheap pricing of the pulps, their bright covers and alluring women to save; these Science Fiction novels were certainly made for younger men.
Given their cheap price, I would expect the pulps are meant for a working class audience; male owing to the misogynistic portrayals of heterosexual relations. In terms of age, the readers are probably younger, as they would likely prefer cheaper, more sensationalized reading content; the stigma behind the juvenility of the pulps probably deterred many older readers. The damsel-in-distress narrative is easily replicable, and informs a sensationalized and chauvinistic gender relation that is easily digestible for a naïve young adult audience. Young male readers likely feel empowered by the male strength and intellectual dominance portrayed in the story, perhaps offering a escape for those frustrated with their own romantic endeavors. Indeed, one would think the writers of these chauvinistic tales likely have embattled relationships with women themselves.
Like Henry mentioned, the 30’s and 40’s were some of the most difficult decades to live through with the Great Depression and Second World War. Pulps like A Martian Odyssey offered a hopeful, optimistic vision of the future for young adults, providing a necessary escape from the struggles pervading throughout the time. While adults condemned the pulps, I’m sure some were relieved their children could indulge in fantasy rather than be scarred by the realities of war and economic strife unfolding around them. However, in these fantasy worlds many conventions still pervade–like the gender relations mentioned in the slides–and therefore perhaps it is not a stretch that children unconsciously realized that the troubles endemic to society on Earth could follow to another planet.
I think one of the key factors in identifying the audience of each piece is the date of each’s writing.
In my initial comment, I mistakenly wrote about the relevance of the fact that Martian Odyssey was written in 1949 to the overall plot. I have since discovered the piece was written in 1934, and the 1949 date was a reprint. Oops.
However, I still think that either time period is relevant to the overall context of the story. 1934 was at the heart of the great depression, characterized by an unemployment rate of 21%. In many aspects, the financial landscape of the US was barren, difficult to navigate, and difficult to cope with. I would imagine that many individuals would be looking for some sort of escape from this backdrop, yet an escape that bore some semblance to their current condition.
Given this context, I reinforce that Martian Odyssey represents a story that is topical enough for the audience to relate to, but one that is fantastical enough to be interesting. I sense that the primary audience for this piece would be teenage boys and young men in their early twenties. Anthony touched on this in his post as well; individual’s with their lives ahead of them (Yet who have difficulty projecting any sort of vision in the current environment), who would likely have an interest in the subject matter, and who would resonate with the characters. For me, the dialogue in the story bore semblance to the manner in which younger males may speak to one another. The four men of the Ares had a ‘tongue-and-cheek’ relationship, often offering witty comments or sly remarks for one another, as would a group of young friends.
Similar to the above, Parasite Planet was written in 1935, also during the heart of the Great Depression. The story features a brave trader who must make regular, perilous journey’s to make an income for himself. His occupation does not seem to be easy, mostly given the conditions on Venus. I found parallels between this story Ark and potentially the one that an average American may have faced at the time of the writing. My mind, again, drew a parallel between the rough financial situation faced by the average American trying to make a living during the depression, and the rough atmospheric conditions faced by Ham on Venus. Given the above, Parasite planet seems to be geared towards the middle class and lower, as it feels like somewhat of a metaphor for the hardship experienced by many Americans during the 30s.
During the late 1920s and the 1930s, there was a major rush for the pulp magazines that pushed the boundaries of human reality while maintaining some realistic qualities. In the slides, the discussion of how the different stories all displayed many forms of possibilities and status quo’s that were dramatized, but often kept realistic enough where the audience could relate to the characters as humans. This allows the audience to imagine alternative worlds that do not exist, but are often better than the current world that we live in today—or at least seem better. These previously mentioned characteristics of the science fiction stories published, in addition to the fact that the stories were sold for cheap amounts (varying from 5 to 25 cents), allowed for the audience to be more widespread and not “a highbrow literary market”. This enables people of different socio-economic classes to consume the stories, which helps makes the audience more variant across all human characteristics.
Also, the slides discuss how the stories reeled in their audience: “creating patronage based on suspense, titillation, and dedication to familiar characters”. This will help with the publishers creating a loyal fanbase, since many fans could be drawn into one specific character that they relate to or appeals to their interest. The covers of the stories are the selling point for all of the stories. There is explicit artwork, often fantasizing the woman sexually and idolizing the man as a hero. I believe that the target audience is males, aged teens to young adults. Men all ages can fantasize with these aspects, but teenagers and young adults with their whole life ahead of them seem the most likely to consume because they have no foundation, so much opportunity, and can imagine their future resulting in many different possibilities.