Pulp Fiction: Mass market novels printed cheaply and intended for a general audience. The content was usually melodramatic, titillating, or thrilling. The earliest samples are the 'penny dreadfuls' or 'bloods' of the eighteenth century, which were followed in the nineteenth century by so-called 'dime novels' (which were sold for ten cents). Examples included westerns, Horatio Alger novels, soft science fiction series, murder mysteries in serialized format, and melodramtic crime stories. The designation 'pulp' comes from the paper quality--these novels are usually printed on the cheapest newsprint available.

 

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