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Examples
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Coined by author Alexandra Rowland in 2017, the term hopepunk was created to be the anthesis of the grimdark genre.
Around the World in 80 Books: A Global Reading List Mara Franzen 2022
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At its core, hopepunk is just about leaving the reader with hope for the future.
Around the World in 80 Books: A Global Reading List Mara Franzen 2022
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Depending on who you ask, hopepunk is as much a mood and a spirit as a definable literary movement, a narrative message of “keep fighting, no matter what.”
In the era of Trump and apocalyptic change, Hopepunk is weaponizing optimism Aja Romano 2018
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In July of 2017, I coined the word “hopepunk,” initially defined very simply in a Tumblr post: “The opposite of grimdark is hopepunk. Pass it on.”
One Atom of Justice, One Molecule of Mercy, and the Empire of Unsheathed Knives – Alexandra Rowland 2020
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Hopepunk says that kindness and softness doesn’t equal weakness, and that in this world of brutal cynicism and nihilism, being kind is a political act.
One Atom of Justice, One Molecule of Mercy, and the Empire of Unsheathed Knives – Alexandra Rowland 2020
scarequotes commented on the word hopepunk
http://ariaste.tumblr.com/post/163697878524/ariaste-ariaste-the-opposite-of-grimdark-is
> The opposite of grimdark is hopepunk. Pass it on.
#this is a good post #also I need an example of hopepunk #bc the name #resonates with me #and I need it #please #if you don’t mind (via @lavender-starling)
So the essence of grimdark is that everyone’s inherently sort of a bad person and does bad things, and that’s awful and disheartening and cynical. It’s looking at human nature and going, “The glass is half empty.”
Hopepunk says, “No, I don’t accept that. Go fuck yourself: The glass is half-full.” YEAH, we’re all a messy mix of good and bad, flaws and virtues. We’ve all been mean and petty and cruel, but (and here’s the important part) we’ve also been soft and forgiving and KIND. Hopepunk says that kindness and softness doesn’t equal weakness, and that in this world of brutal cynicism and nihilism, being kind is a political act. An act of rebellion.
September 5, 2017