Before I explain what Steampunk
means to me as an author, it will be helpful to get a broad understanding of
the term from what you would find if you did a google search on the topic. I've
also included some pictures of the genre to start sparking your imagination.
First Steampunk defined by Goodreads:
"Steampunk is a subgenre of
speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or
quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. It includes fiction with science
fiction, fantasy or horror themes. It is a subgenre of fantasy and speculative
fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term
denotes works set in an era or world where STEAM POWER is still widely
used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with
prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional
technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules
Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an
earlier date."
Second Steampunk defined by Urban Dictionary:
"Steampunk is a subgenre of
speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or
quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. It could be described by the slogan
"What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner." It
includes fiction with science fiction, fantasy or horror themes."
Finally Steampunk defined by
Wikipedia:
"Steampunk is a sub-genre of science
fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery,[1] especially in a
setting inspired by industrialised Western
civilisation during the 19th century. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative
history of the 19th century's British Victorian
era or American
"Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future
during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world
that similarly employs steam power. Steampunk perhaps most recognisably features anachronistictechnologies or retro-futuristic inventions
as people in the 19th century might have envisioned them, and is likewise
rooted in the era's perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and
art. Such technology may include fictional machines like those found in the
works of H. G. Wells and Jules
Verne, or the modern authors Philip
Pullman,Scott Westerfeld, Stephen Hunt and China Miéville. Other examples of steampunk contain
alternative history-style presentations of such technology as lighter-than-air airships,analog
computers, or such digital mechanical computers as Charles
Babbage's Analytical
Engine."
Right, so now that you have all the
technical terms for Steampunk committed to memory let me tell you what the term
means to myself as an author. Steampunk to me is an opportunity to tell or
retell any story in a brand new setting. It's the idea of what could have been
in the past if only a few things had happened differently. It is the era where
past, present and future all meet. It's the time where all things are possible
both realized and yet to be realized. By that I mean it would be absolutely
feasible to have your hero or heroine riding into battle on a horse, carrying a
futuristic blaster, wearing a leather jacket.
Steampunk is a time when anything
can happen. As a writer this excites me to no end. Even now as I'm writing this
blog I have a huge cheshire grin as I am reminded of the absolute freedom this
genre brings. As the pictures show above Steampunk is a way to re-imagine
everything we thought we knew in exciting and brilliant ways.
If you find yourself looking for a
specific example on the topic or would like to read a book set in the Steampunk
universe you can read the synopsis of my latest novel Steam and Shadows
by clicking on the link below.
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| Steam and Shadows |
Find Jonathan here:
Thank you for having me Apryl. I'm eagerly looking forward to what the future has for you as a talented writer.
ReplyDeleteI really don't know much about steampunk at all, so thanks Jonathan! I didn't realize there was fantasy or sci-fi mixed in a lot of the time. Sounds like my kind of genre :)
ReplyDelete