Pulp Fiction Was Named After Cheap Paper
Pulp is soft moist matter. The magazine sense comes from the paper it was printed on.
Pulp is soft, moist, shapeless matter — the flesh of a fruit, the mash from which paper is made, or the soft interior of a tooth. *Pulp fiction* is named directly from the material: cheap magazines of the early twentieth century were printed on rough wood-pulp paper, as against the *glossies* printed on coated stock. The word described the paper long before it described the stories. Latin *pulpa* meant the fleshy part of an animal or fruit.
- Soft moist matter. *Fruit pulp.*
- Paper mash. *Wood pulp.*
- A tooth's interior. *The pulp.*
- Cheap fiction. *Pulp fiction.*
- Latin — *pulpa*. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pulp | Pulp. |
| Verb | pulp | Pulping. |
| Adjective | pulpy | Pulpy. |
| Compound | wood pulp | Wood pulp. |
| Latin | pulpa | Flesh. |
- Orange juice with pulp.Fruit.
- Wood pulp makes paper.Industry.
- The pulps sold in millions.Publishing.
Why pulp paper yellows
- Wood pulp contains lignin, the compound stiffening plant cells
- Light and air oxidise lignin, turning it yellow and brittle
- Better paper removes the lignin chemically
- Old newspapers yellow within years
- Acid-free paper can last centuries
Latin *pulpa*, the fleshy part of an animal or fruit.
Why is cheap fiction called pulp?
Because it was printed on rough wood-pulp paper, as opposed to the coated stock used for glossy magazines.
Why does old newsprint turn yellow?
Wood pulp contains lignin, which oxidises in light and air, turning the paper yellow and brittle.