Steampunk
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction, typically with dystopian and noir themes, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. Various secret societies and conspiracy theories are often featured, and some steampunk includes significant fantasy elements.The origin of the term Steampunk is uncertain, though it is probably a tongue in cheek variant of "cyberpunk": rather than emphasising the computer, robotic, and nanotechnology focus of cyberpunk fiction, steampunk fiction focuses more intently on Victorian-era technology, including steam engines.
Though there are precedents as old as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, in the Scientific Romances, Voyages Extraordinaires and Edisonaides of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, Steampunk as a genre developed in the 1980's as an offshoot of Cyberpunk. K.W. Jeter's 1979 novel Morlock Night is sometimes cited as crystalizing the genre: It incorporates elements of Wells' The Time Machine, which Jeter expands with his own ideas.
William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's 1992 novel The Difference Engine is credited with the genesis of term "Steampunk". This novel applies the principles of Gibson and Sterling's Cyberpunk writings to an alternate Victorian era where Charles Babbage's mechanical computer was actually built. However, the earliest citation for the term belongs to Jeter. [1]
Some cite the origin of the Steampunk concept going back as far as Walt Disney's 1954 adaptation of Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The film was a benchmark in its conscious choice to maintain a Victorian look and feel rather than updating the story (as was the case with the 1953 adaptation of Wells' War of the Worlds).
The present and growing popularity of Steampunk is likely due in large part to Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's two League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic series. Moore's concept and writing made the series popular, but reviews attaching the term "Steampunk" to it became many peoples' first exposure to the term.
There are two main themes within Steampunk: "Historical Steampunk" and "Fantasy Steampunk". [1] Historical steampunk tends to be more science fiction-oriented: presenting an alternate history, presenting real locales and persons from history with different technology. Fantasy steampunk, on the other hand, tends to present steampunk in a completely imaginary world, often populated by fantastic creatures coexisting with steampunk technology.
The most common Historical Steampunk settings are the Victorian and Edwardian eras, though some in this "Victorian Steampunk" catagory can go as early as the Industrial Revolution. Some examples of this type include the comic League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the novel The Difference Engine and the Dinotopia book series. The next most common setting is "Western Steampunk", being a science fictionalized American Western, as seen in the television shows The Wild Wild West and The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr and films ''Wild Wild West and Back to the Future Part III'.
As a continuing play on the cyber/steam-punk naming convention, there have been a handful of novels published, self-described as "sandal-punk" which posit a world in which ancient civilization never collapsed into the Dark Ages and instead saw rapid technological advancement after a few key discoveries are made or developed into industrial technologies (eg: Hero of Alexandria's steam engine, built around 130 BC). There are also Historical Steampunk stories set in the Middle Ages, in which steam and industrial technology is developed in or brought to the Mediaeval era (thus dubbed "Mediaeval Steampunk"). Mark Twain's novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is a good example of this type.
Some examples of Fantasy Steampunk include the Castle Falkenstein role-playing game and The Vision of Escaflowne anime series. Inbetween Historical and Fantasy Steampunk is a type which takes place in a hypothetical future or a fantasy equivalent of our future where some variety of Steampunk-style technology and aesthetics dominate. Examples include the Neotopia comic and even Disney's Treasure Planet film. This could also be considered a type of Retro-futurism.
See also Alternate history, Clockpunk.
The most immediate form of Steampunk culture is the community of fans surrounding the genre. Others move beyond this, attempting to adopt a "Steampunk" aesthetic through fashion, home decor and even music. This movement may also be (more accurately) described as "Neo-Victorianism, which is the amalgamation of Victorian aesthetic principles with modern sensibilities and technologies.
"Steampunk" fashion has no set guidelines, but tends towards solving the hypothetical questions of "what if Punks, Goths and Rivets lived in the Victorian era?" This may include Mohawks and extensive peircings with corsets and tattered petticoats, Victorian suits with goggles and boots with large soles and buckles or straps, and the Elegant Gothic Lolita and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat styles.
"Steampunk" music is even less defined, and tends to apply to any modern musicians who's music evokes a feeling of the Victorian era or Steampunk. This may include such diverse artists as Rasputina, Thomas Dolby, Paul Roland and Sarah Brightman.
Origins of Steampunk
Other Forms
Steampunk as a Culture
Because of the popularity of Steampunk with people in the Goth, Punk and Rivet cultures, there is a growing movement towards establishing Steampunk as a culture and lifestyle. Bibliography
Steampunk
Quasi-Victorian science fiction
Influential Victorian science fiction
Comics / graphic novels
Steampunk role-playing game material
Filmography
Movies
Television
Games
External Links