Mythpunk
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A subgenre of mythic fiction that starts in folklore and myth and adds elements of postmodernist literary techniques. uncountable
"About “To Seek Her Fortune,” she [Nicole Kornher-Stace] rather puckishly elucidates, “This story is the result of my taking the time-honored tradition of expanding a short story into a novel and running it in reverse. The novel in question is underway. (Mythpunk/steampunk/paranormal mashup! Now with about 900% more Sentient Airship!)”"
Example
More examples"About “To Seek Her Fortune,” she [Nicole Kornher-Stace] rather puckishly elucidates, “This story is the result of my taking the time-honored tradition of expanding a short story into a novel and running it in reverse. The novel in question is underway. (Mythpunk/steampunk/paranormal mashup! Now with about 900% more Sentient Airship!)”"
Etymology
From myth + -punk. Coined by American fiction writer, poet, and literary critic Catherynne M. Valente in a 2006 blog post as a joke for describing her own and other works of challenging folklore-based fantasy.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.