1. G325 Critical perspectives in Media Section B: Contemporary Media issues Postmodern Media
Task
Identify features of postmodernism in the ‘Jack Rabbit Slims’ Sequence from ‘Pulp Fiction’
Postmodern feature Example(s)
Intertextuality: References to other media texts
In the background at the Jack Rabbits Slim Restaurant scene, there
are girls in pink jackets just like ‘The Pink Ladies’ in Grease
Still in the Jack Rabbits Slim scene we see a woman dressed as
Marilyn Monroe stood in her seven year itch pose
Parody: To copy another media text in a humorous way
In the dancing scene at Jack Rabbit Slim, John Travolta is creating a
parody from one of his previous films, Saturday Night Fever.
Pastiche: where a text closely imitates the work of a previous artist,
usually distinguished from parody in the sense that it celebrates
rather than mocks the work it imitates. (similar to intertextuality)
Marilyn Monroe stood in her famous seven year itch pose
Reflexivity: Where the filmmaker refers to the film making process
within the mise en scene or narrative, breaking the illusion that the
She draws the square in mid-air it isn’t real but appears on screen,
breaking the illusion that the film is not real

2. film or TV show is not real
Bricolage (Baudrillard): References to a mix of genres/historical eras
within one shot or scene
Within the mise en scene in Jack Rabbit Slims when the woman
dressed as Marilyn Monroe is stood over an air vent, we see
different references from a variety of eras such as, 50’s, 60’s and
90’s.
This is also shown When Mia Wallace goes to the bathroom, we
see her taking drugs this suggest the 90’s however, the other
women stood next to her have hair styles that suggest 50’s and
60’s.
Self-referentiality: Where a producer of a media text or actor makes
direct reference to previous work
Referencing the car scene, a similar scene from Grease
John Travolta references his previous work from his film Saturday
Night Fever.
Characters in Kill Bill are from a TV show fox force five which the
character in Pulp Fiction ‘Mia Wallace’ talks about it