Steampunk

Guide Note

Steampunk is a subgenre of Fantasy literature that includes technology powered by archaic methods (often, but not exclusively, steam) and an emphasis on hand-crafted, individually produced mechanical artifacts.

Fast Facts

1. Term Coined by K. W. Jeter in 1987
2. Seen in books, comic books, film, and fashion
3. Embraced as lifestyle by some
4. Also called "retro-futurism"

1. Steam-powered economy
2. Fictional technologies, often based on archaic principles such as the Aether or Chaos Energy
3. Victorian setting or sensibility
4. A lack of mass-produced goods and an emphasis on hand-crafting and crafts guilds
5. Often presented as an alternate history of the real world
6. Sometimes includes magic or fantastic elements

The earliest novel featuring Steampunk tropes is usually considered to be the 1968 Keith Roberts novel Pavane. Other early authors include Harry Harrison, Michael Moorcock, and Manly Wade Wellman. The genre took hold in the 1980s with the works of Tim Powers, James Blaylock, and K. W. Jeter. William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, who had done much to establish the Cyberpunk genre, added to Steampunk's popularity with their 1990 novel The Difference Engine.

Steampunk elements can be seen in several motion pictures, such as Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), Wild Wild West (1999), Hellboy (both the 2004 film and the comic book on which it was based), Steamboy (2004), and others. On television, programs like The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., and Tin Man have a Steampunk sensibility.