Cyberpunk

=**Cyberpunk**=

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About CyberPunk
Cyber punk - a popular genre derived from punk and a highly technological lifestyle in the information age. The idea behind cyberpunk is the fascination of cybernetics and connecting the human body with a machine, i.e. becoming partly a machine. It is also linked with a breakdown or radical change of social order. The characters of cyber-punk novels are usually addicted to technology, lower-class people.

The best-known author and "father" of the style is William Gibson. He wrote a number of b ooks including the very popular – "Neuromancer" and "Mona Lista Turbo". Though Gibson's literary skills have been criticized, his visionary work has created a new movement. The classical adaptation of P.K.Dick's novel - "Blade Runner" (dir. Ridley Scott) is an example of how the cyberpunk world looks like. The famous modern example of the genre is the cellebrated "Matrix” Trilogy (dir. A & L. Wachowski), which exemplifies numerous characterizations associated with cyber punk and has been praised for its unique visual style.

=William Gibson=

William Gibson's book "//Neuromancer//" is the first literature to have used the term 'cyberpunk'. The following is an excerpt fof the book from the official [|William Gibson website:]

"The sky above the port was the color of the television, tuned to a dead channel. "It's not like I'm usig," Case heard someone say, as he shouldered his way through the crow around the door of the Chat. "Its like my body's developed this massive drug deficiency." It was a Sprawl voice and a Sprawl joke. The Chatsubo was a bar for professional expatriates; you could drink there for a week and never hear two words in Japanese." -Gibson, William. //Neuromancer//

Cyberpunk Film
There are a number of films that reference the cyberpunk genre. Perhaps the most popular is Blade Runner (1982). The protagonist in this film has to track down replicants by distinguishing them from regular humans and the task is complex. Another cyberpunk film is Metropolis, and Terminator includes cyberpunk themes as well. Ghost in the Shell is an anime film that blurs the lines between human and machine in a very methodological philosophical way. Perhaps a less known example is Imortel (ad vitam) (2004) that includes cyberpunk, human condition, and mythological themes.

Cyberpunk film often pushes the boundaries of technological determinism and represents a kind of technological idealism. Often the ideas presented in this genre are transcendental, advocating changes such as a pure democratic voice or the dissolution of gender differences. Most often the films are extremely informative and inspire further thinking related to social influences and questions for society's future.



Image source: http://www.immortel-lefilm.com/immortel_home.jpg

Cybertext
Cybertext is not limited to the electronic medium (Aarseth). Generally however, it refers to the multitude of information available onlilne. It also includes any electronic informatory medium such as video games, online maps, online interfaces, communities, cyberpunk film, etc. It is a contestable and broad definition, and can be applicable to a multitude of electronic genres.

Reference
Aarseth J., Espen (1997). Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. "Cyberpunk." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. 10 Nov 2006, 23:49 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 14 Nov 2006 <[|http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cyberpunk&oldid=87042052>.]

X, Iain. "FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS." __ALT.CYBERPUNK V4.2.4__. UseNet. 7 Nov. 2006 