The best of the Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes: Bel.

physicalcultureBel. Bel was created by “Tyman Currio,” the pseudonym of John Russell Coryell (Nick Carter (I), Helen), and appeared in “The Weird and Wonderful Story of Another World” (Physical Culture, Oct. 1905-Sept. 1906). Tyman Currio, a Planetary Romance Hero, discovers anti-gravity “etheric waves” and builds a rocket to capitalize on it. He flies to Jupiter and discovers that it is not only Earth-like in atmosphere but that it is also inhabited by a race of humanoids who are physically and mentally superior to humans. Currio befriends one of them, Bel, and she tells him of their civilization. In the distant past they had mastered advanced technology, but they are believers in vegetarianism, nudity, physical exercise, returning to nature, and political anarchism. Currio, a meat-eating human, comes off rather badly in comparison to them, and when he falls in love with Bel and tries to impress her by shooting a bird, she knocks him out with a punch and tears apart his rifle with her bare hands. She returns to Earth with Currio to act as a missionary and then abandons him, telling him that she can do her work better without him.

Physical Culture was a movement of the late 19th and early 20th century that emphasized cultivating the self in mind and body, both to become a better Christian and to reverse the trend toward racial decay. Recommended methods for these goals were regular exercise, vegetarianism, sun-bathing, temperance, and personal cleanliness. The movement was aimed at both men and women, and was surprisingly progressive (for its time) when it came to the treatment of women. (I wrote about Physical Culture and transhumanism at some length here). Physical Culture Magazine was the movement’s journal, which included both non-fiction (which would promote the movement and provide guidance to followers) and fiction (which gave fictional examples of what the followers of Physical Culture might look like or become). “The Weird and Wonderful Story of Another World” is an example of one of these stories; Bel is a member of a race which practices Physical Culture, which is why she is a superhuman capable of feats like tearing apart his rifle.

Physical Culture was mostly discredited by the time the pulp era rolled around, but for about twenty years it promoted images of superhuman men and superhuman women, both in non-fiction and fiction.

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