Beyond Non-Linearity: Tracing 'Pulp Fiction'’s Structure and Meaning

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Ana Sofia Pereira
Lusófona University, Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies (CICANT)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1829-0205

Abstract

This article, inspired by Taborda-Hernández’s audiovisual essay, examines Pulp Fiction’s non-linear narrative and its role in the story that is told. Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 masterpiece transformed cinematic storytelling by deviating from traditional narrative structures. Tarantino’s non-linear approach mirrors the deliberate fragmentation seen in postmodern literature, eliciting diverse audience interpretations. Taborda-Hernández’s audiovisual essay delves into Tarantino’s departure from linear storytelling, introducing an experimental linear perspective that prompts inquiries into the story’s efficacy in both linear and non-linear frameworks. This exploration highlights the complex interplay between narrative, characters, and the film’s non-linear structure. Thematic depth within non-linear storytelling enriches the viewing experience prompting reflection on the complex interweaving of human existence and morality, echoing Pulp Fiction’s multi-layered structure. This article contends that the film not only promoted but successfully achieved a continuous dialogue between the audience and the filmmaker, catalyzed by the film’s use of a non-linear structure and its consequential effects.

Keywords: Non-linear storytelling, Postmodernism, Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction, Narrative structure

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