Storytelling in the Pulps, Comics, and Radio: How Technology Changed Popular Fiction in AmericaThe first half of the twentieth century was a golden age of American storytelling. Mailboxes burgeoned with pulp magazines, conveying an endless variety of fiction. Comic strips, with their ongoing dramatic storylines, were a staple of the papers, eagerly followed by millions of readers. Families gathered around the radio, anxious to hear the exploits of their favorite heroes and villains. Before the emergence of television as a dominant--and stifling--cultural force, storytelling blossomed in America as audiences and artists alike embraced new mediums of expression. This examination of storytelling in America during the first half of the twentieth century covers comics, radio, and pulp magazines. Each was bolstered by new or improved technologies and used unique attributes to tell dramatic stories. Sections of the book cover each medium. One appendix gives a timeline for developments relative to the subject, and another highlights particular episodes and story arcs that typify radio drama. Illustrations and a bibliography are included. |
Contents
Preface | 1 |
The Pulps or One Darn Thing After Another | 11 |
Unpleasant Interlude | 89 |
The Death of the Pulps | 108 |
An Unlikely Adventurer | 115 |
Cops in the Comics | 122 |
From the Jungle to the Round Table | 128 |
Fighter Pilots Pretty Girls and the Dragon Lady | 140 |
The Shadow on Radio | 157 |
Superman | 168 |
Tired of the Everyday Routine? Suspense Escape Carlton | 178 |
Dragnet | 189 |
Science Fiction on Radio | 197 |
Timeline | 205 |
Notes | 213 |
Bibliography | 221 |
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