This was the first movie made by Quentin Tarantino that I watched. I didn’t know anything about the movie, apart from a handful of references I observed from memes.
The story was undoubtedly different from other movies yet in a way still entertaining. However I am unbeknownst to what the actual plot of this movie was supposed to be nor what was special about it to be considered so popular. Does the fact that it deviates from traditional storytelling in itself act as a selling point?
I haven’t seen it mentioned, but the title alone tells us so much about what to expect.
“Pulp Fiction” is a type of novel published on the cheapest paper available, marginally better than newsprint - pulp paper.
These were novels that were published cheaply and quickly - so we’re not talking about the novel of the century, but simple entertainment - fast paced, stylized, sensational.
All that also connects to the Noir genre of novels - gritty, dirty, dangerous, hard characters for whom killing is easy. The heyday of Noir is about 1920-1950 and includes authors like Dashiel Hammet (Maltese Falcon) and HP Lovecraft.
I’m sure Tarantino read many of these kinds of novels growing up - you can see the influence: Pulp Fiction is a 90’s take on the Noir genre.
All that said, I haven’t seen it in years. I don’t find it compelling enough to watch again. That’s not a criticism in any way - I saw it in the theatre when it came out and laughed my ass off at parts. We talked about it for days afterward, trying to understand it.