‘The difference engine' of genre: The paradoxes of combining steampunk, fairy tale and fantasy in the retelling of Rapunzel

Abstract

This paper focuses on the problem of combination of different generic models in Melanie Karsak's 2018 novel Golden Braids and Dragon Blades: Steampunk Rapunzel. This retelling of the Brothers' Grimm Rapunzel is set in the steampunk world. Steampunk, being the aestheticized, highly nostalgic quintessence of the Victorian novel, can provide the richest possibilities for constructing an alternative secondary world based fully on the steam energy. The fairy tale, being the backbone of the plot, gives the novel a sense of recognition and promises to conclude the story with an inevitable happy ending. Karsak even adds a fantasy plot to her version of the tale: Rapunzel herself is the heiress of King Arthur, and it is the heroes' mission to unravel the mysteries of King Arthur's Britain. Since it is the Arthurian legends that have strongly influenced the canon of modern fantasy, it may seem that Karsak's combination of varied generic ‘ingredients' — fairy tale plot, steampunk setting, fantasy conflict — should inevitably make a successful novel. However, most paradoxically, the mixing of such diverse material did not result in the creation of an experimental in-betweenborders novel or in a genre-mixing game, but only blurred the specific nature of each genre and destroyed the plot of the novel.