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What is Dieselpunk? Dieselpunk is an aesthetic and literary genre that blends diesel technology with the attitudes of the 1920s-1950s. It typically reflects a nostalgic viewpoint of science, a fear or distrust of new technology, a necessity to defend traditional modes of living against modernity, and embraces old-fashioned values such as hard work, self-reliance, individualism (within reason), and healthful living. Its roots can be traced back as far as 1825 when Jules Verne published “Paris in the Twentieth Century. ” In the 1920s and 1930s, the New Visionaries — a group of mostly British writers who rejected modernity in favour of more familiar structures and values — codified the genre with their own writings.
Where does Dieselpunk Originate?
“Dieselpunk” (given the acronym by Thomas M. Disch, 1982) is a portmanteau coined by Disch from “diesel engine” and “Victorianism.” He defines it as “a literary mode essentially literary in which diesel engines (or other 20th-century technology) are featured prominently.”
The term may be used as shorthand for any work that uses dieselpunk themes or settings.
