Special Issue CFP: Pulp Fiction Turns 30

“Once upon a time in Hollywood, Pulp Fiction turns 30”

Pulp Fiction is approaching the 30^th anniversary of its release in 1994, and a special issue of  South Central Review will help mark the occasion.

On its own, the film includes rich material, complicated storytelling, engaging dialogue and characters, and more. Pulp Fiction was foundational to Indiewood, one of the first ‘independent’ films that made over $100 million as a ‘blockbuster.’ Its meta-fictional elements redress popular and commercial expectations, notably even in its title and conscription of ‘pulp fiction’ genre and ‘pop culture’ elements; its reach across ‘art’-cinema and ‘exploitation’; and merging ‘niche’ categories with mainstream audiences. As the second, stand-out feature film directed by Quentin Tarantino, this film sets a course to discuss the filmmaker’s career and status as an indie auteur in and around Hollywood. Some may argue Tarantino’s status has redefined auteurism itself since the 1990s. Its soundtrack, cinematography by Andrzej Sekula, editing by Sally Menke, and outstanding technical elements rarely receive due attention. The film also has seen no small share of controversy—its associations with Miramax and #MeToo, its controversial themes and language, and the complications surrounding political sensibilities then in 1994 on the way to our own in the 2020s. Critical comparisons among Pulp Fiction and one or a few of its mid-1990s contemporary films could prove interesting.

This CFP seeks proposals for articles that will discuss any of these or related topics related to Pulp Fiction. Article topics might focus on Pulp Fiction itself or reference some aspect of it in order to address more fully some aspect of Tarantino’s other films and cultural production or any related interests. A broad range of proposed topics are welcome.

• initial proposals due 3 July 2023 (to include c300-word abstract, tentative article title, author name and affiliation)
• 6000- to 8000-word articles to be submitted by 4 December 2023 for peer review

Please direct all communication to the special issue editor, Scott L. Baugh, at pulpfictionthirty@gmail.com

SCRev is the refereed journal of the South Central Modern Language Association and published by Johns Hopkins UP. Please also see more information about the journal South Central Review, including author guidelines, at  https://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/south-central-review#

Contributors are encouraged to consider membership and participation in SCMLA https://www.southcentralmla.org/