mythpunk

Mythpunk represents the newest branch from mythic fiction. The most notable author of this subgenre is Catherynne M. Valente. Her work The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden is a textbook example of the category. She defined the new label—a brand of speculative fiction which starts in folklore and myth and adds elements of postmodern fantastic techniques: urban fantasy, confessional poetry, non-linear storytelling, linguistic calisthenics, world-building, and academic fantasy.

I found that definition a bit stiff so I discovered a more casual interview with Valente where she was asked what about the “punk” element in mythpunk sets it apart from mythic fiction. She answered, “…mythology, folklore, the fairy tales we grew up with told us all about a defined world where we could only be a few things: princesses or witches, princes or paupers, wizards or hags. Mythologies that defined a universe where women, queer folk, people of color, people who deviate from the norm were invisible or never existed. It’s about breaking that dynamic and piecing it back together to make something strange and different and wild.”

So mythpunk is about the unpopular crowds of fairytales, rather than the glamorous princesses and princes. It reexamines mythology with a modern politically correct view. Therefore, this subgenre modifies the easily discernible character archetypes of mythic fiction.

Interesting….