When steampunk has no punk and steam power is not emphasized (or is not existent), it may in fact be Gaslamp Fiction instead. The name is from after the year 2000 but the beginnings of the style may occur as early as 1818 with Mary Shelly's Frankenstein where technology is used to construct an artificial being. Other technologies of the day are also featured in the novel. Often, biological constructs, non-steam mechanical constructs, vampires, ghosts, monsters, robots, zombies, goblinoids, and fantasy creatures are present. They are a result of the fantastic technology of course. The Bram Stoker's Dracula novel in 1897 also contains gaslamp elements such as a blood transfusions (a newly investigated and a highly questionable medical technology at the time). Odd medical technology and medical machines are often gaslamp elements. Though there can be technology related to electricity, it is (much like steam power) often not emphasized as such or explored in accurate detail in stories of this genre (note the role of electricity in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein). It is yet one more technology of the era that can be pushed to fantastic limits.
This genre can be a subset of both Science Fiction and Fantasy.
About Gaslamp fantasy (Gaslight fantasy;Gaslight romance)
Note that the original Frankenstein novel is based on the earliest experiments with electronic engineering, thus not really gaslamp fiction, unless early electronics are part of this (which is not really mentioned).
I've investigated, I still don't see the electronic engineering part of Frankenstein.
The Edwardian Era saw the leveling off of innovation possibilities, and contrasting dwindling popularity of, steam power. Very few innovations in steam took place after the Edwardian Era; Doble being the main source of those. Electric technology, began its rise in popularity, having had many innovations near the end of the victorian era. For instance, 1896 saw the first massive scale (at the time) AC generator plant. Electric vehicles reached the peak of their popularity during this time, outselling steam and petrol vehicles combined. But, most of this is generally treated as unimportant by gaslamp fiction. The human effects of the technology far outweigh the details, innovations, and tech of the technology. So much so, it is not often clear which technology is causing the effects. And, well; oh just read this (don't worry, if fairly short).
The Edwardian Era saw the leveling off of innovation possibilities, and contrasting dwindling popularity of, steam power. Very few innovations in steam took place after the Edwardian Era; Doble being the main source of those. Electric technology, began its rise in popularity, having had many innovations near the end of the victorian era. For instance, 1896 saw the first massive scale (at the time) AC generator plant. Electric vehicles reached the peak of their popularity during this time, outselling steam and petrol vehicles combined. But, most of this is generally treated as unimportant by gaslamp fiction. The human effects of the technology far outweigh the details, innovations, and tech of the technology. So much so, it is not often clear which technology is causing the effects. And, well; oh just read this (don't worry, if fairly short).
The bits of science that were used to animate the monster. Machines powered by electricity derived from lightning strike.
Have you read the book?
Victory was awed by the sight of lightning striking. So he studied it. His studies lead him through the studies of alchemy, chemestry, and finally anatomy and ultimatly the effects of death within said sciences. His combined studies lead him to deduce how to embue "the spark of life" It is strongly implied that lightning was used to animate his creature. But this is not implicitly spelled out in the book. In fact, the narrative makes it clear that Frankenstein is going out of his way to avoid revealing the details to the listener in his confessionesque testimony. It is just as strongly implied that alchemy and chemistry were essential to the event. The only 'technology' the reader can be certain was used would be that which relates to anatomy and knowledge thereof. And none of that is even the point of the story. Its about the consequences of what Frankenstein did and did not do with his technology and knowledge.
Victory was awed by the sight of lightning striking. So he studied it. His studies lead him through the studies of alchemy, chemestry, and finally anatomy and ultimatly the effects of death within said sciences. His combined studies lead him to deduce how to embue "the spark of life" It is strongly implied that lightning was used to animate his creature. But this is not implicitly spelled out in the book. In fact, the narrative makes it clear that Frankenstein is going out of his way to avoid revealing the details to the listener in his confessionesque testimony. It is just as strongly implied that alchemy and chemistry were essential to the event. The only 'technology' the reader can be certain was used would be that which relates to anatomy and knowledge thereof. And none of that is even the point of the story. Its about the consequences of what Frankenstein did and did not do with his technology and knowledge.
No, I have not read the book. I've seen several movies based on it and summaries of the novel. Re-reading some bits, it seems the novel itself does not quite explain the method of re-animation, but derived fiction extensively uses early (and massive) electronic contraptions to depict a machine involved in channeling lightning to animate the monster. The time the novel was written in was also when electronics were extremely new thing which likely promoted this imagery (via science + lightning connection I would think).