Viagens extraordinárias e ucronias ficcionais: uma possível arqueologia do steampunk em literatura

Abstract

This dissertation intends to examine the phenomenon of the subgenre steampunk in contemporary works of science fiction, tracing its origins and analysing its definitions. Steampunk, in its most common form, uses counterfactual projections of the Victorian era, creating retrofuturistic ambiences in order to tell its stories. From evidence gathered by researchers on the profound influence films had on this trend, particularly the interpretations made by Hollywood of British scientific romances and Jules Verne s voyages extraordinaires, we attempted an archaeology of the subgenre, also taking into consideration the original editorial project by Verne and his editor Pierre- Jules Hetzel. From its beginnings, the project had an interdisciplinary as well as intertextual character, and would remain an influence on science fiction as a genre in its own right. After that, we attempt to demonstrate the affinities the art of film had since its very inception with Verne s and Hetzel s project, approaching their endeavours to offer a visual translation of that universe as a natural result of the text itself. Finally, we will analyse the components of steampunk (time travel, counterfactual history, parallel worlds, ficctional uchronies) and locate the Brazilian trend of the subgenre within the context of the advent of the new historical novel as well as the demand for books of historical popularization, which surged soon after the celebrations of the 500 years of the discovery of Brazil.