Wednesday, May 18, 2011

What is Steampunk?

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction, that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes fictional works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian eraBritain—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, often featuring futuristic technology as the people of this historical period would have envisioned it to look like, i.e. based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include fictional machines like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer, but occurring at an earlier date.” - Wikipedia

Oh wikipedia, you never serve me wrong. But the whole genre of Steampunk is often riddled with controversy. Would people rather me just post pretty pictures, or shall I address issues and give book recommendations? It’s up to the reader!