Steampunk and fantasy are two popular speculative fiction genres that overlap in some key ways, but also have distinct differences. Both evoke imaginary worlds that transgress the bounds of reality, but they draw inspiration from different sources and have their own unique styles.
Defining Steampunk and Fantasy
Before diving into how steampunk and fantasy relate to one another, let’s review the core elements of each genre:
Steampunk typically takes place in a romanticized, alternate version of 19th century Western civilization, often set in Victorian-era Britain or America.
Some key features include:
- Retro-futuristic technology powered by steam, such as airships, steam-powered robots, and elaborate clockwork machines. See [steampunk clock] for examples.
- Stylized visual aesthetic mixing historical and sci-fi influences, with gas lamps, cogs, gears, goggles, and Victorian-inspired fashions.
- Speculative re-imagining of real-world history and technology. What if electricity hadn’t been harnessed and steam power had continued evolving?
- Themes of adventure, exploration, alternate history, counterculture, and rebellion against authority.
Fantasy involves imaginary worlds that contain magic, mythological creatures, and supernatural forces. Typical elements include:
- Magical and mythological beings like elves, dwarves, dragons, fairies, wizards, etc. See [do dragons exist in steampunk?]
- Fictional lands, realms, kingdoms that exist in a parallel reality.
- Magical powers and abilities.
- Good vs evil conflicts, quests, medieval settings.
- Worlds that resemble historical eras, often drawing inspiration from Medieval and Renaissance Europe.
- Mythic themes rooted in folklore, legend, and spiritual allegories.
Now that we’ve defined the core aspects of each genre, let’s explore how they’re similar and how they diverge.
Similarities Between Steampunk and Fantasy
Though steampunk and fantasy have distinct settings and influences, they share the following key commonalities:
Speculative Worldbuilding
Both steampunk and fantasy involve extensive worldbuilding and imagined realities that do not exist in the real world:
- Alternate histories – Steampunk re-imagines the past with retro-futuristic technology. Fantasy creates magical realms and kingdoms.
- Immersive settings – They construct intricately detailed settings with their own histories, cultures, politics, languages, etc.
- Escape from reality – They provide an escape from the real world into imaginative realms with different rules.
Focus on Adventure
Adventure stories are common in both genres:
- Quests – Heroes go on epic journeys and quests, which drive the narrative.
- Action – Exciting action sequences that propel the story, like airship battles in steampunk or magical duels in fantasy.
- Exploration – Characters explore wondrous new lands, technologies, creatures.
Creative Freedom
Neither genre is bound strictly to reality, allowing creative freedom:
- Imaginative potential – Authors can let their imaginations run wild, free from constraints of real-world logic.
- Flexible rules – The worlds operate under their own loose rules with room for creativity. Magic works however the author dictates in fantasy, steam tech can be as elaborate and fanciful as desired in steampunk.
- Flights of fancy – Plots, characters, and imagery are limited only by the author’s vision. Octopuses piloting hot air balloons? Ancient dragon sorcerers? Anything goes.
Detailed Aesthetics
Both genres place great emphasis on aesthetic details in costume, setting, and technology:
- Immersive visual styles – They have signature looks from Victorian fashion in steampunk to medieval armors and gowns in fantasy.
- Elaborate designs -ITEMS like airships and clockwork robots in steampunk or mythical weapons and castles in fantasy have intricate, stylized designs.
- Rich sensory experiences – Descriptions appeal to multiple senses, bringing their worlds to life.
Themes of Power and Corruption
Shared thematic elements include:
- Technology vs nature – Steampunk often explores whether technology leads to progress or corruption. Fantasy looks at the price of abusing power, be it through magic or politics.
- Rebellion and counterculture – Both genres have underdog protagonists who challenge corrupt establishments.
- Curiosity and ambition – Characters seek forbidden knowledge that can unleash great but dangerous power.
How Steampunk and Fantasy Diverge
For all they have in common, steampunk and fantasy differ significantly in these major ways:
Inspiration and Influences
They draw inspiration from different sources:
- Steampunk
- 19th century scientific romances by Jules Verne, H.G. Wells
- Victorian science and technology
- Counter-culture movements like goth and cyberpunk
- Fantasy
- Mythology and folklore
- Medieval and Renaissance history
- Epic sagas and poetry
- Spiritual themes and archetypes
Setting and Scope
Their settings have distinct scopes:
- Steampunk
- Typically confined to a specific historical era, alternate 19th century
- Set in familiar locations like London, Paris, America
- World resembles the real past with anachronistic technology
- Fantasy
- Spans multiple eras from medieval to prehistoric
- Set in fully imaginary realms and continents
- Worlds are utterly detached from history and reality
| Steampunk Style | Fantasy Style |
|---|---|
| Gritty, dark tones | Sense of wonder, whimsy |
| Fast-paced plots | Character-focused arcs |
| Subversive, cynical | Morality tales, good vs evil |
Technology vs Magic
Their speculative elements stem from different sources:
- Steampunk
- Steam power replaces later technologies
- Machines and gadgets dominate
- Some psychic or alchemical powers
- Fantasy
- Magic is central and omnipresent
- Potions, spells, enchantments
- Magical beings and creatures
Tone and Style
Their narratives have distinct tones:
- Steampunk
- Action-driven plots
- Dark, gritty moods
- Cynical perspectives on progress and society
- Fantasy
- Character-focused arcs
- Sense of wonder and whimsy
- Good vs evil binaries
| Steampunk Style | Fantasy Style | |-|-| |Gritty, dark tones | Sense of wonder, whimsy | |Fast-paced plots | Character-focused arcs | |Subversive, cynical | Morality tales, good vs evil |
Character Archetypes
Common character types include:
- Steampunk
- Eccentric inventors
- Rogue airship pilots
- Anarchist rebels
- Detective adventurers
- Fantasy
- Warriors and knights
- Wizards and mages
- Kings and nobles
- Peasant heroes
Design Elements
Their designs showcase different elements:
Steampunk
- Elaborate clocks and gears
- Steam-powered conveyances
- Victorian dresses and suits
- Goggles and gas masks
Fantasy
- Enchanted castles and forests
- Mythic creatures like dragons
- Blacksmith weapons like swords and axes
- Mage robes and armor
Subgenres
Each has spawned distinct subgenres:
- Steampunk
- Clockpunk – Renaissance era steampunk
- Dieselpunk – 1920s-1950s retrofuturism
- Atompunk – Cold War technology
- Fantasy
- High/Epic Fantasy – Vast, world-spanning epics
- Dark/Grimdark Fantasy – Gritty, amoral tales
- Urban Fantasy – Fantasy creatures in modern settings
So in summary, while steampunk and fantasy share similarities in their emphasis on adventure, worldbuilding, and imaginative freedom, their settings, influences, styles, archetypes, and subgenres make them distinct genres.
Both allow readers to escape into richly realized imaginary worlds that provide an alternative to everyday reality.
Notable Examples of Steampunk and Fantasy
To see how these genres manifest in practice, here are some notable works in each:
Steampunk
- The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling – Alternate Victorian Britain with advanced steam tech
- Perdido Street Station by China Mieville – Weird fiction in industrial steampunk city
- Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld – Alternate WWI with Darwinist bio-fabrications
- The Golden Compass – Young adult fantasy steampunk
- Steamboy – Anime steampunk adventure film
Fantasy
- Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien – Archetypal high fantasy trilogy
- A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin – Dark medieval fantasy saga
- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – Iconic modern young adult fantasy
- The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski – Dark heroic fantasy novels
- Spirited Away – Fantasy animated film
These examples showcase the diverse stories that can be told within the realms of steampunk and fantasy, from alternate histories to coming-of-age tales to epic journeys.
Blending Steampunk and Fantasy
While steampunk and fantasy are distinct genres, many works blend elements of both to create unique hybrid universes.
Some ways they can mix include:
- Fantasy stories with steampunk technologies integrated into the worldbuilding. Airships coexisting with dragons!
- Steampunk settings where magic and mythological beings are real. Alchemists and fairies in a Victorian-esque world.
- Urban fantasy tales that bring magical creatures into steampunk cities. Demon hunters in neo-Victorian London.
- Science fantasy universes where magic and tech are intertwined seamlessly.
Works that effectively mix steampunk and fantasy elements include:
- Fullmetal Alchemist manga/anime – Alchemy and steampunk technology in a fantasy world at war
- Dishonored video game series – Magic and industrial technology in plague-ridden city
- Mortal Engines novel and film – Post-apocalyptic world with mobile steampunk cities consuming one another
- Final Fantasy games – Airships, high tech armor, and magic blend seamlessly
The fusion of steampunk and fantasy elements allows for incredibly diverse and creative worldbuilding unrestricted by the conventions of either genre.
Wrapping Up: Steampunk Vs Fantasy
While steampunk and fantasy share common ground in crafting immersive secondary worlds driven by imagination, they draw inspiration from different sources and have evolved distinct styles.
Steampunk remixes history and technology while fantasy delves into myth and magic.
Both provide an escape into places where adventure is unbounded and anything is possible. Blending these genres opens up even more possibilities for innovative fictional universes.
Ultimately, both offer a creative means of looking at the real world in a new light – whether by re-examining history or holding a mirror to modern issues through allegory.
Good stories in either genre can inspire us to reflect on the nature of progress, morality, power, and what it means to be human.
So while their settings, tropes and influences differ, steampunk and fantasy are complementary genres that allow our imaginations to soar beyond the ordinary.
Both create portals to places where our sense of wonder can be reawakened and our perspectives expanded, which is an experience fiction can deliver like nothing else.