in contrast to it's reputation in some circles as a sophisticated and unapproachable masterwork that only the most capable in the medium can dare claim to have really conquered, revisiting dark souls in 2022 has the same essential feel as revisiting elric of melnibone in the same year. dark souls is pure pulp fantasy, absolutely lascivious in it's enthusiasm to play the hits and delight in the playing of them. there's no attempt to hide the basic moods and beats the game is playing, instead it simply enjoys the classics with an infectious delight. about the only thing that isn't pulp about dark souls' fantasy is the sexism, which is mostly just deeply boring and conservative instead of being as weird and outrageous as a lot of those old paperbacks could be.
undead burg. darkroot basin. lord of light. the abyss. the dark. fire. the sun. demon ruins. Big Hat Logan. fuckin blighttown. it's deeply mundane in a way that really works. there's no Tarnished-esqe straining towards the illusion of novelty when there is none, none of the worldbuilding has any facade or pretense to it, it is what it is on the tin, which is exactly the spirit of a pulp novel that promises swords and legends and tits and proceeds to deliver exactly that, but with a visual artistry and methodically slow pace that all but forces the player to take the time to appreciate why we like these base concepts in the first place. getting Cursed in The Depths and having to spend not-inconsiderable time on a grueling backtrack up to The Undead Parish to talk to Oswald to get it cured is not a traditionally "fun" or "novel" journey but it is one that invites consideration of every step of that journey. it is sophisticated appreciation of "junk food" art, and that is just quintessential Video Games to me.
the game's writing is (mostly) wonderfully unpretentious, in stark contrast to it's most ardent fans, fans who have done a tremendous disservice to the game's narrative by archiving it in the form of videos and wikis that tear it from the aforementioned pacing and stunning visual direction that brings it life and meaning. a lore wiki about the primorial serpent kaathe and his darkstalkers in the abyss would read like the rote fantasy claptrap that it ultimately fundamentally is, but the way the game deploys it, the way it hides Kaathe and what he has to say from the standard progression of the journey of the Chosen, the way the Abyss and the Dark is depicted as a literally blank void, a Nothingness that exists totally apart from our conception of the world as we can possibly conceive of it, that is what makes these concepts compelling.
though admittedly, the game hardly does itself any favors in the honestly quite weak DLC, which recasts the Dark from a compelling evocation of the unknown, and literalizes it as a Spooky Cave with a Fucked Up Guy inside that spreads Corruption Juice that turns people into Monsters. dark souls works because it puts in the work to make concepts like this visually and poetically compelling, but the dlc is much more traditionally interested in the exposition of Lore as a beginning and end, and demonstrates the very thin line between Compelling Pulp Fantasy and Drearily Rote Pulp Fantasy. artorias of the abyss, for better or worse, for good or ill, feels completely haunted by the future of Fromsoft, and feels at odds with what I found so loveable about dark souls upon this revisit.
the story and world of dark souls is nothing you haven't seen before if you're even lightly read in fantasy and mythical literature. but because it deeply invests in the presentation of and love of these things without pretension or subversion, through the delightfully shonky and functional UI and the warm PS3 sheen, it works. dark souls knows that sometimes, we just want to read about elric of melnibone, the eternal champion, brooding on his ruby throne while the Lord of Dragon Cave scowls from across the court. i don't think i'll ever love it like i love it's younger, weirder, rougher, moodier sibling, but it'll always make me smile.
undead burg. darkroot basin. lord of light. the abyss. the dark. fire. the sun. demon ruins. Big Hat Logan. fuckin blighttown. it's deeply mundane in a way that really works. there's no Tarnished-esqe straining towards the illusion of novelty when there is none, none of the worldbuilding has any facade or pretense to it, it is what it is on the tin, which is exactly the spirit of a pulp novel that promises swords and legends and tits and proceeds to deliver exactly that, but with a visual artistry and methodically slow pace that all but forces the player to take the time to appreciate why we like these base concepts in the first place. getting Cursed in The Depths and having to spend not-inconsiderable time on a grueling backtrack up to The Undead Parish to talk to Oswald to get it cured is not a traditionally "fun" or "novel" journey but it is one that invites consideration of every step of that journey. it is sophisticated appreciation of "junk food" art, and that is just quintessential Video Games to me.
the game's writing is (mostly) wonderfully unpretentious, in stark contrast to it's most ardent fans, fans who have done a tremendous disservice to the game's narrative by archiving it in the form of videos and wikis that tear it from the aforementioned pacing and stunning visual direction that brings it life and meaning. a lore wiki about the primorial serpent kaathe and his darkstalkers in the abyss would read like the rote fantasy claptrap that it ultimately fundamentally is, but the way the game deploys it, the way it hides Kaathe and what he has to say from the standard progression of the journey of the Chosen, the way the Abyss and the Dark is depicted as a literally blank void, a Nothingness that exists totally apart from our conception of the world as we can possibly conceive of it, that is what makes these concepts compelling.
though admittedly, the game hardly does itself any favors in the honestly quite weak DLC, which recasts the Dark from a compelling evocation of the unknown, and literalizes it as a Spooky Cave with a Fucked Up Guy inside that spreads Corruption Juice that turns people into Monsters. dark souls works because it puts in the work to make concepts like this visually and poetically compelling, but the dlc is much more traditionally interested in the exposition of Lore as a beginning and end, and demonstrates the very thin line between Compelling Pulp Fantasy and Drearily Rote Pulp Fantasy. artorias of the abyss, for better or worse, for good or ill, feels completely haunted by the future of Fromsoft, and feels at odds with what I found so loveable about dark souls upon this revisit.
the story and world of dark souls is nothing you haven't seen before if you're even lightly read in fantasy and mythical literature. but because it deeply invests in the presentation of and love of these things without pretension or subversion, through the delightfully shonky and functional UI and the warm PS3 sheen, it works. dark souls knows that sometimes, we just want to read about elric of melnibone, the eternal champion, brooding on his ruby throne while the Lord of Dragon Cave scowls from across the court. i don't think i'll ever love it like i love it's younger, weirder, rougher, moodier sibling, but it'll always make me smile.
27 Comments
I'm glad you mentioned the tendency of souls fans to obsess over lore. One of the most annoying things about gamers is the tendency to ignore the vibes or underlying meaning of a game in favor of exhaustively cataloguing and memorizing meaningless lore details.
@caebl201 "Theory" videos being the primary form of internet media analysis for an extended period of time and its consequences. Infected untold numbers of people with the idea that the goal of media is understanding said media instead of anything based in aesthetics or meaning.
i wonder how the chicago school feels about their contemporary successors: vaatividya, mike stoklasa, cinema sins, and mauler
For a while I refused to engage with Souls games simply because I hate lore and saw it as the antithesis of narrative
Whats funny about the theory masters guide of video is how divorced it seems from the cutthroat brutality of its own project. In order to needlessly chart everything based on the clothes, you can to kill everyone. Just to know Solaire painted it himself or what like was the voyeuristic scalping 4 yr project rlly worth it? It's completely separated from the like half knowledge and general confusion that should feel natural playing a game like this. & yet its perpetuated as The Way to understand the lore lol. Sometimes I ponder over how on Undertale's Genocide route feels too on the nose until I realize its basically what these lot insist on doing.
This game revels in its comedic throughlines, the fact almost every character you meet ends conversations with a laugh is not coincidence.
This game revels in its comedic throughlines, the fact almost every character you meet ends conversations with a laugh is not coincidence.
The thing is, Demon's had an even stronger sense of gutsy simplicity and escaped the tumultuous fate of being, for the fanbase, the equivalent of Star Wars comic books. Barely because the game wasn't as popular, and how it presents its lines is so incredibly uncertain, between being blunt and face valued or grossly unexplained. No wonder why the "pretentious breed" of Souls players tend to gravitate towards the first in its class.
Fanfuckingtastic review by the way. Its very interesting how dark souls seems like the greatest thing conceived until you actually start to understand its influences. Also I love your absolute no mention of Berserk, you dont imagine how annoying is to see any glance of medieval pulp reduced to kissing Miura's feet.
Fanfuckingtastic review by the way. Its very interesting how dark souls seems like the greatest thing conceived until you actually start to understand its influences. Also I love your absolute no mention of Berserk, you dont imagine how annoying is to see any glance of medieval pulp reduced to kissing Miura's feet.
Hmm, I don't know if I agree with that perspective on Demon's Souls. What I really enjoyed about Dark Souls on this replay was the pleasure it took in playing it's concepts mostly straight; Demon's, by contrast, is much more interested in what is generally more common nowadays with this kind of fantasy story, that being the idea that stock concepts are presented so that they can be subverted or revealed to be twisted with a reveal that occurs later in the story. It's a much more linear, cohesive story about a smaller cast in a deliberately constrained part of the world: one that I happen to really like, but one that doesn't really lend itself to the kind of archivist behavior that would come to define engagement with Dark Souls' narrative. I think it's pointed that most of the Lore Videos on Demon's Souls came after Dark Souls came out: DeS just isn't something that can be engaged with on that level quite so readily; it's not simply that it wasn't as popular, although certainly that was a factor.
I mean, that part of the more weakening engagement with Demon's story is precisely what it makes it so different and enriching looking back, but it is true that limitless sense of the world built on Dark Souls is what it made it big with the lore-obsessed portion of gamers. That constraint you mention about Demon's is what I call simplistic in comparison, but I don't treat is as a blunt term. It is a game that dives in smaller doses that were needed to construct that eerieness on doubt, something Dark Souls kinda lacks. It doesn't give an F about explaining some otherwise big things in the Souls catalog.
Another reason why maybe Dark Souls was so heavily explored on lore it's, probably, timing. 2011 saw Skyrim coming out, and that game also has a pretty hardcore lore dissective youtube experience, at least in the spanish content side. But it's true Demon's just doesn't work that well with that realistic, cold form of interpretation (cold in a realistic sense, ofc. The editing is quite melodramatic). It's kinda like King's Field IV actually, since that game also brings its themes very loosely.
Another reason why maybe Dark Souls was so heavily explored on lore it's, probably, timing. 2011 saw Skyrim coming out, and that game also has a pretty hardcore lore dissective youtube experience, at least in the spanish content side. But it's true Demon's just doesn't work that well with that realistic, cold form of interpretation (cold in a realistic sense, ofc. The editing is quite melodramatic). It's kinda like King's Field IV actually, since that game also brings its themes very loosely.
To be honest though, simplicity bubbles up the deepest bunch.
not sure i agree w/ your framing Dark Souls's story as just a greatest hits of fantasy pulp. it is partially that to be sure, but it's fantasy pulp in literal and metaphorical decay, deeply hopeless and melancholic in content and mood. and i'm not sure i'd call it "subversive" but it definitely does diverge from the archetypal high fantasy story in a lot of important ways: you're cursed with immortality rather than it being the ultimate goal of your Journey, your Quest is a sham if you read between the lines even a bit, etc. these beats almost certainly have come before dark souls and may even exist in some bodies of folklore for all i know but they don't strike me as the properties of Conan the Barbarian: The Video Game.
also never read the Dark in Dark Souls as "a compelling evocation of the unknown", or at least not just that and not primarily that. it's a metaphor for humanity ("(the) Dark Soul(s)", humanity items, Manus, etc.) and novelty/change/decay/entropy. Light is the inverse -- associated with the Gods and stability/constancy. and the DLC abyss where you fight manus doesn't come off to me as anymore of a literalization of metaphor than the abyss/humanity items/etc. in the base game are. manus being the literal first human (the "furtive pygmy") and the creator of the abyss is no accident nor is it merely for Lore. he's the Prometheus of the game's constructed mythology.
also just realized manus's name is literally, in fact, "Man"us, and if that's intentional lmfao.
also never read the Dark in Dark Souls as "a compelling evocation of the unknown", or at least not just that and not primarily that. it's a metaphor for humanity ("(the) Dark Soul(s)", humanity items, Manus, etc.) and novelty/change/decay/entropy. Light is the inverse -- associated with the Gods and stability/constancy. and the DLC abyss where you fight manus doesn't come off to me as anymore of a literalization of metaphor than the abyss/humanity items/etc. in the base game are. manus being the literal first human (the "furtive pygmy") and the creator of the abyss is no accident nor is it merely for Lore. he's the Prometheus of the game's constructed mythology.
also just realized manus's name is literally, in fact, "Man"us, and if that's intentional lmfao.
@muck you seem to labouring under the assumption that melancholy (i think describing Dark Souls as a game without hope is innacurate, frankly) and decary are moods and modes that are beyond the scope of pulp fantasy, and that just isn't true! there's a reason i evoked elric so clearly here: the opening of the very first book reads as an epitaph for the island of Melnibone: of a people and a culture doomed to slowly fade from the world and being too arrogant to change or let go. that's dark souls baby!!! right from the start!!! and invoking Conan is interesting because in my experience (mostly in the old marvel comics adaptations my dad was obsessed with rather than the original books), there is a deep underlying sadness to Conan's journeys, of the fact that he is presented with innumerable opportunities to settle down and lead a better, happier life with those that care for him, but rejects them time and again because he is single-minded in his desire to fulfill his destiny. your comment reads to me as someone more familiar with the popular (negative) connotations associated to me with the genre than with the books themselves, and if there's one thing i want people to take away from this review, it's that i think fans of dark souls would also be fans of these books! i don't call dark souls pulp derisively, i think it's evocation of that aesthetic is intentional and wonderful!
also i think we agree on what The Dark means lol?? while i can't say i follow your claim that it is a metaphor for humanity items and characters (do you mean it's a catch-all term for these things?) but we both agree that it represents the world outside the fire: a world of change and...the unknown. think there's some confusion there ha.
also re: the Manus thing, i'm afraid you've fallen into a classic Souls Fan trap of wielding a popular interpretation derived on wikis and youtube as the absolute truth in club form against interpretation: nowhere in Artorias of the Abyss is it absolutely confirmed beyond a shred of doubt that Manus is the furtive pygmy, and while I can see why people thought that might be the case, and why that theory became popular (largely, I think, out of a desperate attempt to connect that last dangling thread, because the method youtube/fextralife reads the game with cannot allow themselves to conceive of it as a puzzle box where every question has an answer to be found) but it is by absolutely no means an ironclad truth: and, in fact, for what it's worth, it's one that Dark Souls 3 would reject wholeheartedly in it's conception of the furtive pygmy. manus is *a primeval human, but i found little in my playthrough to support my read that he is the* primeval human.
also i think we agree on what The Dark means lol?? while i can't say i follow your claim that it is a metaphor for humanity items and characters (do you mean it's a catch-all term for these things?) but we both agree that it represents the world outside the fire: a world of change and...the unknown. think there's some confusion there ha.
also re: the Manus thing, i'm afraid you've fallen into a classic Souls Fan trap of wielding a popular interpretation derived on wikis and youtube as the absolute truth in club form against interpretation: nowhere in Artorias of the Abyss is it absolutely confirmed beyond a shred of doubt that Manus is the furtive pygmy, and while I can see why people thought that might be the case, and why that theory became popular (largely, I think, out of a desperate attempt to connect that last dangling thread, because the method youtube/fextralife reads the game with cannot allow themselves to conceive of it as a puzzle box where every question has an answer to be found) but it is by absolutely no means an ironclad truth: and, in fact, for what it's worth, it's one that Dark Souls 3 would reject wholeheartedly in it's conception of the furtive pygmy. manus is *a primeval human, but i found little in my playthrough to support my read that he is the* primeval human.
"decary" lol. this is what i get for Posting so early in the morning.
"conceive of if it as anything other than a puzzle box" that should say as well. damn sure does suck we can't edit comments huh
"there is a deep underlying sadness to Conan's journeys, of the fact that he is presented with innumerable opportunities to settle down and lead a better"
Gospel. I don't exactly remember the story, but there is an opportunity where Conan confronts with the abnormal darkness of an alley, and it has an unexpectedly somber reflection about his position as a meandering warrior, struggling with fear and resentment of what he's done to get there in the first place. He was, for a moment, a barbarian coward that tried to understand what's the importance of someone like him in its place, reconsidering if it's even worth risking going too deep.
I like to point out the Hobbes-esque theme of Souls games that I always prefered over the hollowing blunt "muh depression struggles", as the humans return to their natural state of being: fucking animals.
Gospel. I don't exactly remember the story, but there is an opportunity where Conan confronts with the abnormal darkness of an alley, and it has an unexpectedly somber reflection about his position as a meandering warrior, struggling with fear and resentment of what he's done to get there in the first place. He was, for a moment, a barbarian coward that tried to understand what's the importance of someone like him in its place, reconsidering if it's even worth risking going too deep.
I like to point out the Hobbes-esque theme of Souls games that I always prefered over the hollowing blunt "muh depression struggles", as the humans return to their natural state of being: fucking animals.
...Oh wait, not as in the action of f*cking animals. Jesus christ we REALLY need an edit button.
What are some fantasy texts you consider sophisticated or non-pulpy?
Sophistication and Pulp are not mutually exclusive. Pulp is an aesthetic or form, not a donation of quality or intelligence. Frankly I would personally not use a word like “sophisticated” as it has a lot of baggage I’d rather not deal with. But if you want examples of fantasy literature I’d consider “Not Pulp”, then Lord of the Rings, Earthsea, American Gods, A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Way of Kings.
I just wanted to say this review is incredible and summarizes why I don't understand the intense fascination there is with Dark Souls being some kind of impenetrable work.
Thanks, I don't know what the opposite of pulp is in fantasy which is why I was asking.
Denotions of quality or intelligence was not what I was trying to imply either. Pulp as I understood is comes out of the literary magazine format with an implication of 'disposability'. For example, Lovecraft's writing was apparently produced in pulp magazines called Weird Tales. The reason I used sophisticated wasn't to be a fart smeller so much as a lack of comparison point, I was drawing an association to the musical genre 'sophisti-pop' know for its distinct use of jazz & soul rhythms in comparison to the structure of pop music. This has nothing to do with the lyrical 'depth' of individual songs...
Regardless you might be right it's a term with a lot of baggage. Following that, you are probably right that Sophistication and Pulp are not in contrast to each other, but I'm not exactly sure what the overlap looks like. In part probably just because on a literal level I don't know what 'Pulp' as an aesthetic particularly entails, so your contrast of non-pulp is a useful clarifier. Probably the word I might have been looking for is 'pretentious' fantasy literature (as a neutral judgement term) but even that might be questionable. You don't have to bother replying to this, just making myself clear. Thanks again.
Denotions of quality or intelligence was not what I was trying to imply either. Pulp as I understood is comes out of the literary magazine format with an implication of 'disposability'. For example, Lovecraft's writing was apparently produced in pulp magazines called Weird Tales. The reason I used sophisticated wasn't to be a fart smeller so much as a lack of comparison point, I was drawing an association to the musical genre 'sophisti-pop' know for its distinct use of jazz & soul rhythms in comparison to the structure of pop music. This has nothing to do with the lyrical 'depth' of individual songs...
Regardless you might be right it's a term with a lot of baggage. Following that, you are probably right that Sophistication and Pulp are not in contrast to each other, but I'm not exactly sure what the overlap looks like. In part probably just because on a literal level I don't know what 'Pulp' as an aesthetic particularly entails, so your contrast of non-pulp is a useful clarifier. Probably the word I might have been looking for is 'pretentious' fantasy literature (as a neutral judgement term) but even that might be questionable. You don't have to bother replying to this, just making myself clear. Thanks again.
Naw, pretentious definitely is not in contrast to pulp by these meanings, Earthsea is a children's series or, as is sometimes argued, proto-YA, and so definitely isn't trying to display an excessive intelligence or push beyond its means but is undoubtedly "not pulp". I would say that stylistically pulp has more to do with being visceral and immediate in effect I suppose?
I wish we had an edit button too now, I sent that and immediately realized that by "pretentious" you likely meant to agree, just kinda meaning that it relates to the intellect, my apologies.
Yeah there's always the delete button but I don't mind, your intervention was actually pretty useful.
I guess I'm not entirely sure whether I'm seeking a word of pure distinction from pulp or just trying to find a strong enough formal modifier away from it to explain peoples perception. I guess people don't come up with an alternative genre to horror called 'serenity', since that ultimately doesn't make much sense to do so...
Maybe its more that Woodaba frames this 'pulpiness' as a reveal in comparison to the self serious and brooding intellectualism that people have approached it with. My assumption is that people did this because they slotted the broading and intellectually high minded nature into a seperate genre, maybe that could be the mystery or noire genre since you have to do a lot of 'sluething' and 'item reading' to find a Truth (which is not the point of the game imo). Basically what the causal assumption is that got people to mischaracterize the games form in the first place.
On top of that, I don't know what pulp as a genre or form really means but that's likely a personal failing probably.
I guess I'm not entirely sure whether I'm seeking a word of pure distinction from pulp or just trying to find a strong enough formal modifier away from it to explain peoples perception. I guess people don't come up with an alternative genre to horror called 'serenity', since that ultimately doesn't make much sense to do so...
Maybe its more that Woodaba frames this 'pulpiness' as a reveal in comparison to the self serious and brooding intellectualism that people have approached it with. My assumption is that people did this because they slotted the broading and intellectually high minded nature into a seperate genre, maybe that could be the mystery or noire genre since you have to do a lot of 'sluething' and 'item reading' to find a Truth (which is not the point of the game imo). Basically what the causal assumption is that got people to mischaracterize the games form in the first place.
On top of that, I don't know what pulp as a genre or form really means but that's likely a personal failing probably.
Although I note your relation to it as viscera is probably a useful starting place so thanks.
I'll note all of you, you make me feel absolutely dumb and I mean it in the best way (lowkey), since I both struggle with recognizing and appreciating how knowledged the core Backloggd people seem to be.
But seriously all of you really make me reconsider and rereconsider everything and both break me and teach me meaningful shit without even intending to do so.
But seriously all of you really make me reconsider and rereconsider everything and both break me and teach me meaningful shit without even intending to do so.
@Erato_Heti I appreciate the clarification immensely! Apologies if I came across as terse or accusatory. You're correct that pulp was viewed as a vehicle for disposable experiences, and I think the stigma associated with such things has carried itself to the present, despite some of the most revered works of the past either drawing on pulp literature or being explicit pulp works themselves: certainly the work of Quentin Tarantino has inspired far more critical work than the vast, vast majority of his influences. However, just like with Video Games, those who are actually read in the form will know that "cheap, disposable entertainment for teenage boys" is not really the whole truth.
I'm pretty bad at laying down definitions of genre and I usually don't enjoy doing it, but just for the sake of clarity, when I refer to "pulp", I'm usually referring to works that are lurid or sensational, works that seek to evoke strong reactions with relatively light or to-the-point prose. To illustrate my point, while J.R.R Tolkein might discuss at length the history of and emotional weight of the history of a place to underscore the sadness and tragedy of it falling out of memory and time, Michael Moorcock might instead have his hero deliver a soliloquy about the personal emotional connection he had to this place, and that he personally is sad about it falling to dust. Or in the case of a detective story, one writer might have their private eye discover a real-estate scandal that could leave dozens homeless in Los Angeles, whilst Raymond Chandler might have Detective Marlowe discover that the center of this web of mysteries and lies is nothing but a dark love affair of blood-stained passion. Pulp goes straight for the jugular, for big, universal emotions, where the artistry is in how these ideas are communicated effectively, than in the complexity of the ideas themselves. This by no means is a definitive framework of Pulp, but it illustrates I think why Dark Souls is such an effective pulp fantasy story: the concepts it's dealing with are deliberately simple and straightforward, but are delivered with a directness and visual flair that makes them compelling.
As for why Dark Souls is framed in such a light as opposed to the pulp lens that I think it is most effectively viewed through, I don't want to make any definitive anthropological statements attempting to trace the root of a specific reading, but I do think partially it is a pervasive notion among all spheres of casual criticism but especially geek spaces that obscurity = depth (note the number of pieces that have posited that Dark Souls' storytelling through item descriptions is, on some kind of objective level, Simply Better than cutscenes/dialogue/equivalent). The fact that the act of discovering the full scope of the individual narratives is kind of obtuse for many heightens what is ultimately a not-particularly-nuanced tale of a man in a big hat reading too many books and going insane. I also simply think that it's a matter of most of the big influential voices in shaping the Dark Souls critical sphere are people who are more likely to use Berserk, an until recently still ongoing dark fantasy manga targeted at a very similar audience as Dark Souls as a reference point than Queen of the Black Coast, a serial adventure story from before WW2. Dark Souls was a breakout hit that narrowed the scope of it's influences in such a way similar to what Evangelion did for anime: both are works that wear their influences on their sleeve - arguably to their detriment - but because they exploded out from their original niche, at this point most of the people who have played Dark Souls aren't familiar with a lot of the aesthetic qualities it's pulling on.
I hope this helps clarifies things a bit and I apologize that I wasn't clear before. Please do not think that not being able to parse my badly-explained rambly points represents a point of personal failing for you!!!
I'm pretty bad at laying down definitions of genre and I usually don't enjoy doing it, but just for the sake of clarity, when I refer to "pulp", I'm usually referring to works that are lurid or sensational, works that seek to evoke strong reactions with relatively light or to-the-point prose. To illustrate my point, while J.R.R Tolkein might discuss at length the history of and emotional weight of the history of a place to underscore the sadness and tragedy of it falling out of memory and time, Michael Moorcock might instead have his hero deliver a soliloquy about the personal emotional connection he had to this place, and that he personally is sad about it falling to dust. Or in the case of a detective story, one writer might have their private eye discover a real-estate scandal that could leave dozens homeless in Los Angeles, whilst Raymond Chandler might have Detective Marlowe discover that the center of this web of mysteries and lies is nothing but a dark love affair of blood-stained passion. Pulp goes straight for the jugular, for big, universal emotions, where the artistry is in how these ideas are communicated effectively, than in the complexity of the ideas themselves. This by no means is a definitive framework of Pulp, but it illustrates I think why Dark Souls is such an effective pulp fantasy story: the concepts it's dealing with are deliberately simple and straightforward, but are delivered with a directness and visual flair that makes them compelling.
As for why Dark Souls is framed in such a light as opposed to the pulp lens that I think it is most effectively viewed through, I don't want to make any definitive anthropological statements attempting to trace the root of a specific reading, but I do think partially it is a pervasive notion among all spheres of casual criticism but especially geek spaces that obscurity = depth (note the number of pieces that have posited that Dark Souls' storytelling through item descriptions is, on some kind of objective level, Simply Better than cutscenes/dialogue/equivalent). The fact that the act of discovering the full scope of the individual narratives is kind of obtuse for many heightens what is ultimately a not-particularly-nuanced tale of a man in a big hat reading too many books and going insane. I also simply think that it's a matter of most of the big influential voices in shaping the Dark Souls critical sphere are people who are more likely to use Berserk, an until recently still ongoing dark fantasy manga targeted at a very similar audience as Dark Souls as a reference point than Queen of the Black Coast, a serial adventure story from before WW2. Dark Souls was a breakout hit that narrowed the scope of it's influences in such a way similar to what Evangelion did for anime: both are works that wear their influences on their sleeve - arguably to their detriment - but because they exploded out from their original niche, at this point most of the people who have played Dark Souls aren't familiar with a lot of the aesthetic qualities it's pulling on.
I hope this helps clarifies things a bit and I apologize that I wasn't clear before. Please do not think that not being able to parse my badly-explained rambly points represents a point of personal failing for you!!!
Thank you for taking so much time out of your day to clarify. It's immensely useful going forward and I think we share a similar starting assumption for why the geeky community has chosen to view the game this way. I also think its sort of funny because had you told me Berserk is pulp I would have 100% believed you and is especially true for this slightly more defined clause, which makes it all the more funny people use it as a token of the story being 'accentuated'. Sorry for rubbing your arm so much in frustration, if anything I hope your response helps smother the flames and confusions from others as it seems a lot of people were and are tied to their perceptions of Dark Souls as transcendent. Hopefully at least now people see where your coming from.
In terms of the anxiety of my messages, I'm just type like that when I'm trying to figure stuff out, no need to feel too bad about it. I tend to purposefully keep myself a bit inoculated because I know my obsessive pursuit towards technicalities. Your writing it good its just very quick and self specific, the social purpose of this site incentivizes you to write that way and its perfectly fine! Your youtube content is clearly more involved, I respect your writing regardless.
In terms of the anxiety of my messages, I'm just type like that when I'm trying to figure stuff out, no need to feel too bad about it. I tend to purposefully keep myself a bit inoculated because I know my obsessive pursuit towards technicalities. Your writing it good its just very quick and self specific, the social purpose of this site incentivizes you to write that way and its perfectly fine! Your youtube content is clearly more involved, I respect your writing regardless.
KB0
2 years ago