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Iolanda RamosPublished Online: 2017-12-29 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/culture-2017-0056AbstractThis article draws on an alternate history approach to the Victorian world and discusses steampunk and neo-Victorian literary and cultural features. It focuses on Richard Francis Burton-one of the most charismatic and controversial explorers and men of letters of his time-who stands out in a complex web of both real-life and fictional characters and events. Ultimately, the essay presents a twenty-first-century revisitation of the British Empire and the imperial project, thus providing a contemporary perception of Victorian worldliness and outward endeavours.Keywords: Victorianism; empire-building; alternate historyFeatured Image Credits:Jack Anstey&#160;