America during its time has been influenced by several different literary time periods. The pulps era, which lasted from the early 1930s to the late 1940s was an extremely unique and influential time period in America’s literature and America itself. Due to the state of our country during this era, the pulps literary period saw a new type of writing, a type that we to this very day still have, the comic book.
During this time period, America as a society was at an all time low. World War One had ended in 1918 thus commencing a time and celebration for all American citizens. This time, known as the roaring 20s was a time of dancing, drinking and partying and was enjoyed by all citizens. However, as the decade came to a close America went …show more content…
This concept of buying on credit made many Americans think that they had more money than they actually owned. They would pay for an item with money given to them by the bank which they would then later owe the bank. This caused many Americans to go into debt, which further threw the country into the depression. Big shaky corporations were also a huge part of why America went into debt. Once the stock market crashed the big corporations lost their money and in return had to lay their workers off. With hundreds of corporations having to do the same mass numbers of workers got laid off. In 1933 thirty percent of the workforce was jobless. The jobless then lost their houses and America's streets began to fill up with unhappy, homeless, and jobless Americans. This state of depression in America did not end until the beginning of World War Two. With the rise of the belief of a strict dictatorial government and the bitterness caused by the Great Depression, the world was consumed in World War Two. The war consisted of two main sides the Axis Powers which consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan, versus the Allies which included, Britain, France, Australia, Canada, New …show more content…
It was a time where many Americans were depressed and looking for a way out of what they were going through. The purpose of the pulps was to lead them away from this feeling. The pulps, as you can tell from the name, were extremely cheap books/magazines made from pulp. Authors and bookmakers used this cheap method to make the books so that the customers could still buy their fill of books during the depression. The pulps included fictional stories about great adventure, mystery, and or romance. They allowed the reader to experience different people, places, and actions, which allowed them to escape from their depressing hard lives. Bigger-than-life heroes, pretty girls, exotic places, strange and mysterious villains all marked the pages of the many issues available to the general public. These magazines gave way to the crime fighter, detective-type person that is now the figure of modern day marvel and DC superheroes. In fact, the first superman comic was published in 1938 and at the time sold anywhere from five to ten cents. That same comic recently was sold to a collector for 3.2 million dollars. So all those superhero comics you grew up with can be traced all the way back to the five cent comics available during the Great Depression. The end of the pulp era began with the beginning of World War 2. The second World War brought paper rationing which then caused an increase in price, which buyers were not happy with.
During this time period, America as a society was at an all time low. World War One had ended in 1918 thus commencing a time and celebration for all American citizens. This time, known as the roaring 20s was a time of dancing, drinking and partying and was enjoyed by all citizens. However, as the decade came to a close America went …show more content…
This concept of buying on credit made many Americans think that they had more money than they actually owned. They would pay for an item with money given to them by the bank which they would then later owe the bank. This caused many Americans to go into debt, which further threw the country into the depression. Big shaky corporations were also a huge part of why America went into debt. Once the stock market crashed the big corporations lost their money and in return had to lay their workers off. With hundreds of corporations having to do the same mass numbers of workers got laid off. In 1933 thirty percent of the workforce was jobless. The jobless then lost their houses and America's streets began to fill up with unhappy, homeless, and jobless Americans. This state of depression in America did not end until the beginning of World War Two. With the rise of the belief of a strict dictatorial government and the bitterness caused by the Great Depression, the world was consumed in World War Two. The war consisted of two main sides the Axis Powers which consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan, versus the Allies which included, Britain, France, Australia, Canada, New …show more content…
It was a time where many Americans were depressed and looking for a way out of what they were going through. The purpose of the pulps was to lead them away from this feeling. The pulps, as you can tell from the name, were extremely cheap books/magazines made from pulp. Authors and bookmakers used this cheap method to make the books so that the customers could still buy their fill of books during the depression. The pulps included fictional stories about great adventure, mystery, and or romance. They allowed the reader to experience different people, places, and actions, which allowed them to escape from their depressing hard lives. Bigger-than-life heroes, pretty girls, exotic places, strange and mysterious villains all marked the pages of the many issues available to the general public. These magazines gave way to the crime fighter, detective-type person that is now the figure of modern day marvel and DC superheroes. In fact, the first superman comic was published in 1938 and at the time sold anywhere from five to ten cents. That same comic recently was sold to a collector for 3.2 million dollars. So all those superhero comics you grew up with can be traced all the way back to the five cent comics available during the Great Depression. The end of the pulp era began with the beginning of World War 2. The second World War brought paper rationing which then caused an increase in price, which buyers were not happy with.