English EE on Steampunk

[Smile&Black]

Hello! So, a literary interest of mine is steampunk, and while it wasn't my first choice for an essay topic (it didn't even occur to me, actually), my mentor pointed me in that direction once she learned that I enjoy it and know a bit about it.

 

I know the relative direction I want to take with it, but I'm not sure if it's an okay direction/is not well-suited for the extended essay.

 

I was considering explaining/going in depth on a few common elements of steampunk (I'd have to look into a few of the 'classic' steampunk novels, since I've only read a fairly recent one so far) and attempting to analyze how those elements draw in the reader/what they add to the genre to make it so appealing-- eventually reworded to look nicer, of course.

 

If anyone doesn't mind helping me out a bit, I'd love some advice on whether this is an acceptable or decent topic/direction I'm taking, and if not, if there are other ways I can enhance it while keeping the focus on the steampunk genre.

 

Please be kind when replying. Don't tell me I shouldn't bother with this topic because I've only actually read one book, or at least if you do, be gentle about it. I know I should be going to my mentor with these types of questions, but due to a subject area switch, I wasn't assigned an actual mentor until recently.

 

Anyway, thank you!

Edited November 6, 2014 by Smile&Black

[Tintinnabulation]

The way I've heard steampunk defined is "sci-fi, if sci-fi was written in the victorian era". This is true for other genres such as cyberpunk, gearpunk, etc. You could take a broader look at the influence of technology - past and present - on popular culture, and tie in ideas about Kuhn's paradigm shifts, perhaps?