Historical Fantasy Sub-Genres: Gaslamp and Steampunk
Gaslamp (Gaslight) fantasy and steampunk are atmospheric
sub-genres of fantasy that exploit historical features and foibles of the 19th
century, particularly in Britain and its colonies.
A Bit of Background…
The European Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th
centuries exalted Reason above all else, a focus that both ignited scientific
enquiry and spawned revolutions. At the same time, the Enlightenment calcified
the imagination. Two centuries of constrictive rationality created a hankering
for escape and a hunger for whimsy. In other words, at the turn of the 19th
century, the world was ripe for fantasy.
The Nineteenth Century
Welcome to the Romantic Era, the age of sturm und drang—intense emotion, when fairies flitted in gardens
and mad scientists cooked up monsters during electrical storms. This shift of
focus to emotions and intuition, myth and magic provided fodder for creatives
of all types, not least writers.
The 19th century in England was a time of
incredible social change. Starting in Great Britain, the Industrial Revolution
(1780 – 1840) heralded a new urban lifestyle, featuring a working class,
advances in trade and business, and the mechanical manufacturing. The power of
steam was harnessed for transport, textiles, iron production.
The Royal Circus
A series of formidable monarchs ruled during the 19th
century. George III’s chronic illness and mental health issues came to a head
when his youngest daughter Amelia died in 1811. His intense grieve left him
unfit to rule, so his son, the Prince of Wales, ruled as regent from 1811 -
1820 (aka, The Regency Period).
The Prince Regent made a right royal mess of things, running
up debts, flagrantly spending, and generally behaving immorally. Upon his
father’s death in 1820, he was crowned King George IV, dying ten years later
after a prolonged illness.
His brother William IV took over, ruling for seven years,
during which he did not produce a legitimate heir. His niece Alexandrina was
next in line, ruling as Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. The British Empire
grew during her long reign, and she, dour and indomitable, left an indelible
mark on history.
Her son succeeded her, reigning from 1901 to 1910 as King
Edward VII.
Historical Fantasy Genres
Both gaslamp/gaslight and steampunk occupy the above piece
of historical real estate, Regency to Edwardian eras, but they use the space
differently.
Gaslamp (or Gaslight)
Gaslamp fantasy is historical fantasy with magical
possibilities. The setting is usually Regency, Victorian or Edwardian, and
usually it’s placed in Britain or its (former) colonies. The name refers to the
ambiance created by the gas lamps that lit the streets of the time. The
nomenclature derives from the comic series Girl Genius by Kaja Foglio.
Gaslamp Hallmarks
The tropes of gaslamp differ from those of straight fantasy
(e.g., Tolkien) or straight Faerie (e.g., MacDonald). Victorian times saw a
spike in curiosity about the spiritual world with many people dabbling in
seances and other occultic practices. These themes sometimes make their way
into gaslamp fantasy. Similarly, there was a resurgence of interest in fairies
and other fey creatures and folklore.
Gaslamp explores fantastical possibilities and supernatural
elements, time-slip, alternative histories and parallel worlds. Its tone can
range from broodingly gothic to ‘swashbucklingly’ adventurous. A librarian from
the New York Public Library described gaslamp fantasy as: “Jane Austen or
Charles Dickens meets Harry Potter.” It can include mystery, boarding schools,
pirates, monsters, spies, and manners.
Classic Gaslamp Examples
The gaslamp classification didn’t exist at the time these
works were published, but they fit. Consider:
Peter Pan and Wendy
by JM Barrie – Victorian, magic, parallel worlds, magic, mythical and fey
characters
Alice in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll – Victorian, magic, portal, time-slip
A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens – Victorian, time-slip, ghosts, eerie ambiance
Dracula by Bram
Stoker Victorian, mythical character, magic, eerie ambiance
Contemporary Gaslamp Examples
Jonathan Strange &
Mr Norrell by Susanna Clark
The Prestige by
Christopher Priest
The Golem and the
Jinni by Helene Wecker
A Great and Terrible
Beauty by Libba Bray
The Dark Days Club
by Alison Goodman (Australian author)
Steampunk
While gaslamp plays up magical possibilities, steampunk
emphasises the technological possibilities afforded by 19th-century
advances in steam power. Some argue that this focus on technology pushes it
more toward science-fiction than fantasy. Often the technologies are
anachronistic, for example, steam-powered robots or androids; or they can be
‘retrofuturistic’, for example, a reimagining of a blimp as a family vehicle or
a war machine.
The punk aspect of steampunk refers to the tone of the
genre, which can be irreverent, brash and disaffected. There’s a vague or overt
sense of dissatisfaction with the state of affairs, often an anachronistic
callousness, and sometimes a lack of optimism about the future.
Steampunk is not only a literary genre, it’s also an aesthetic.
Costumes and settings are Victorian but amped up, for example, women wearing
corsets as daywear or men donning thick goggles as eyewear. Clockwork and steam
engines of all sizes and descriptions abound.
Variations on a Theme
Some steampunk incorporates supernatural elements such as
vampires, werewolves, and witches. Although usually set in Victorian times and
generally in Britain (or its colonies), a strong off-shoot of steampunk is
‘weird west,’ usually a wild west setting with gadgets and horror elements.
More recent additions to the steampunk canon include non-British settings and
POC protagonists.
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| Image Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1889_Verne_poster.jpg |
Classic Steampunk Examples
Consider the following works as forerunners to the steampunk
genre. Again, the classification of steampunk didn’t exist at the time of these
authors, but their works nonetheless fit:
Frankenstein by
Mary Shelley
The Time Machine
by HG Wells
Twenty-thousand
Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Contemporary Examples of Steampunk
The League of
Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore
Leviathan by Scott
Westerfield
Etiquette &
Espionage by Gail Carriger
The Tremblers by
Raquel Byrnes (Christian steampunk)
Maiden of Iron: A
Steampunk Fable by Edie Melson (Christian steampunk)
Bio
Ali Stegert writes gaslamp fantasy adventure for children. The Temple of Lost Time, book one of The Whitherworld Chronicles trilogy, is
currently in submission. Set in London’s theatre district in an alternative 19th
century, cheeky theatre child Toby Fitzroy must find his long-lost father or
end up in a notorious Workhouse for Wayward Children. But his search intersects
with the dying, magic-addled king’s quest for the time elixirs of the mythical
Temple of Lost Time and sends him to another world…
Writing gaslamp fantasy gives Alison a playground in which
to indulge in her passion for Victoriana, fairy tales, and history. A former
school counsellor, Alison now cares for her elderly father-in-law and writes
books for children. She lives near the beach in Australia with her husband and
two naughty dogs. Find out more on her blog, Spilling Ink.
YA Fantasy Adventure in the lost realm deep under the mountain.