Steampunk: What it is, why I came to like it, and why I think it’ll stick around
I would like to take a moment to define “steampunk.” This will be an exercise in futility (not to mention sadomasochism) because there is no formal, all-encompassing, final word on the subject, and people are bound to disagree. But for the purposes of what is to follow, I must begin with a definition of this term which I’m going to be flinging around willy-nilly. So here goes.
Steampunk: An aesthetic movement based around the science fiction of a future that never happened. Recall, if you will, visions of the future that were written a hundred years ago or more. Think Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Mary Shelley, and the like — telling stories featuring technology that didn’t exist at the time, but might someday. Remember that they were writing with no idea of the microchip, or the internet, or (in some cases) the internal combustion engine. Therefore, in their versions of the future, the technology upon which society would eventually come to depend is driven largely by steam power or clockwork. Sometimes electricity is likewise invoked, but it’s often treated as quasi-magical due to the contemporary lack of understanding about how it behaved and what it could do.
WooEEE. That’s a mouthful, I know. Let me broaden that just a smidge and add this as a postscript: Steampunk could be considered a retro-futuristic neo-Victorian sensibility that is being embraced by fiction, music, games, and fashion. It is ornate and vibrant, and intricate. It believes that functional items can and should be beautiful.
It is lots of fun. If it isn’t lots of fun, you’re doing it wrong.
Let the emails beginning, “Actually …” and “Technically …” and “But you’re forgetting …” begin! But please bear in mind, this is but one woman’s experience and opinion.
And click the jump below in order to keep reading.
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Why I got interested in steampunk:
I first became interested in steampunk about four or five years ago, when I stumbled across a message board dedicated to the subject. This brief introduction sent me on a little research expedition to learn more, and the more I learned, the better I liked it — and the more I understood that this nebulous term was actually encompassing a whole slew of things I already appreciated.
My only tiny gripe was that most of the steampunk art and fiction I was seeing appeared to be centered around Victorian London.
Don’t get me wrong — Victorian London is a pretty awesome setting, and far be it from me to declare it unfit in any capacity; but this American cosplay enthusiast with a history minor [:: points thumbs at self ::] could scarcely resist composing a checklist.
Did we have oodles of fancy steam-and-coal-powered tech? Check. One massive rail system that eventually crisscrossed over three thousand miles of rivers, plains, mountain ranges, and swamps. I believe that counts.
And what of similarly hardcore weaponry, and early mechanisms of flight? Check. How about everything that ever fired, rolled, or flew during the Civil War — including the “aeronauts” and all their war balloons, spy crafts, and surveillance equipment? If that doesn’t count, then gosh darn it, I don’t know what does.
What of class clashes, colonialism, exploration, and scientific expansion? Oh honey, Check. Westward expansion with all its inherent ethical and pragmatic difficulties; an enormous slave class which was liberated and then obligated to integrate into free society, often with zero social or legal protection; a region’s failed secession and “reconstruction” into a crippled territory with a ravaged economy that hasn’t fully recovered even 150 years later; agricultural barons vs. industrial barons; urban poverty vs. rural poverty vs. urban wealth vs. rural feudal wealth; frontier millionaires; gold rushes; smallpox blankets; Spindletop and the rise of fossil fuels; Thomas Edison; Henry Ford … Jesus, need I go on?
So I still had a book under contract.
And I knew where I wanted it to take place — and what I wanted it to look like.
Why I think steampunk will stick around:
And now as people talk about steampunk breaking through to the mainstream, and what it must become or acquire if it’s going to have any staying power … I think that at least some of the answers are obvious, and I intend to talk about two of my favorites: (1). Steampunk comes from a philosophy of salvage and customization, and (2). Steampunk’s inherent nature is participatory and inclusive, yet subversive.
And now, enlarging to show detail.
(1). Steampunk’s philosophy of salvage and customization is not only very timely here in the early twenty-first century, but it’s a conscious backlash against a Western cultural tradition of waste, disposable consumer goods, and the banality of mass production.
I sometimes joke that the core tenet of steampunk (from a philosophical, or at least sound-bytey standpoint) is “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.” But I’m only half joking. Since the nineteenth century was largely pre-mass-production (if on the very cusp of it), people tended to have fewer things and to make more versatile use of the things they had — and to keep them longer. More goods were custom made, and tended to be better made.
This stands in stark opposition to consumer culture as we’ve come to know it, whereby everything that breaks is thrown away and replaced; and much of what we own is identical to much of what other people own. Likewise, consumers are limited by the offerings of mass production, and are hard-pressed to purchase things that look or feel more personalized.
The obvious answer to this, of course, is to make your own things. And steampunks are all over that shit.
Steampunks do not need to settle for what’s on the rack. At their best, steampunks either make their own clothes and jewelry or customize the clothes and jewelry that they already have. They cheerfully use unexpected (and sometimes, aggressively un-valuable) items for decorative purposes, and remix their wardrobes, their accessories, and their possessions to better meet their own aesthetic standards and fashion requirements.
Thus you see everything from laptops to musical instruments, furniture to earrings, quilts to shoes to hats to candles to cat collars … retooled for a more pleasing and individual look that’s customized to the preferences of the owner. Because despite the fact that we all pretty much shop at the same places and buy more or less the same things, deep down everybody wants something unique.
Conveniently enough, the internet has made this more possible and affordable than ever before. Etsy, Ebay, independent shops and craftspeople are just a few keystrokes away. Let me put it this way: No two steampunks ever arrive at a gathering wearing exactly the same thing.
(2). Steampunk is participatory, and yet it simultaneously rebels with its inclusiveness. As you (probably) know (if you’re reading this) Bob, there’s a great deal of conversation in speculative fiction about inclusiveness and representation of the Other. And now for two quick asides, to loosely define another couple of terms:
Speculative fiction can be generally described as the fiction of “what if?” including fantasy, science fiction, horror, slipstream, “weird” fiction, and other such genres. Steampunk stories are usually categorized as speculative fiction.
The Other refers to people who are not included in mainstream heteronormative white culture. This includes women, people of color, people of non-hetero sexual orientations, and transgendered people or people who do not identify with gender as a binary. The designation also extends to include other underrepresented demographics, including (but not limited to) people who are older, who have nontraditional or unexpected body types or disabilities, or who practice certain religions.
Got it? Okay.
Onward.
The participatory nature of steampunk is abundantly clear. The ornate, fun, retro steampunk “look” comes with a contagious element that inspires “Ooh, I like what you’re doing — I want to do that too!” Often it begins with a couple of gears on a top hat, sure; but then it sometimes blossoms into a full-fledged interest in vintage technology, decoration, theatricality, historical dress, and subsequent club-joining.
I think it’s telling that so far, steampunk has not been pigeonholed as a thing that’s mostly for men or mostly for women, and most gatherings of steampunks feature a pretty even split down the middle. But even more telling is the way it appeals to a broad cross-section of people — even people who haven’t traditionally had much of a connection with gaslamp London, speculative fiction, or fan culture … including many who may be classified as Other.
I have a theory about why.
When mainstream society members don’t see people who are different from them (in pop culture, in history books, in their neighborhoods), they get the impression that those people don’t exist … or if these Others do exist, then they aren’t very important. But with its time-travel/history-altering underpinnings, steampunk has the capacity to un-write some of the rules that created the Other in the first place. It offers a voice to those who were marginalized, allowing them to stand up and say, “I was here. And I absolutely, defiantly reject the implication that I wasn’t.” It’s open to everyone — including those whose historical representation got left out, written out, or killed out of hand.
I’ve seen people come at steampunk with sophisticated visions of retro-futuristic China, New England, Africa, the American frontier, gaslamp London, Japan, and India … and everywhere else, which is exactly how it ought to be. Because wherever you came from, whoever you are, and whatever your people were doing a hundred and fifty years ago … it is worth talking about. It is worth examining, and exploring. It is worth playing with, every bit as much as it is worth taking seriously.
And I believe this, if nothing else, puts the “punk” in steampunk. It’s the tongue sticking out at history books; it’s a poke in the eye to a condescending footnote. It’s a pointy boot up the ass of stuffy literalists and stitch-counters. Steampunk refuses to let what was written years ago become the last word or the bottom line, and that’s one very big reason I love it so much.
August 8th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Really great article on steampunk. I just read George Mann’s The Affinity Brigde which takes place in 1901 London with robots and steam driven airships. It also featured zombie hordes which was a plus. My introduction to steampunk was Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. In the 1980’s it was reruns of the Wild Wild West that gave me my fix. Of course in the 90’s during college I found Alan Moore’s League of Extordianary Gentlemen. Just a few issues ago Matt Fraction did a whole issue of Uncanny X-Men as Victorian Steampunk. Guy Ritchies new Sherlock Holmes looks like it will incorporate allot of Steampunk elements within. I can’t wait for your book to come out this fall.
August 8th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Yours is a great article, madam. I have found true pleasure in reading it! (and what´s pleasure if not fun?) Thank you!
August 8th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
[...] excited to learn that the incredibly talented Cherie Priest was starting a steampunk series, but this piece makes me a little giddy. You should check out the whole site, as well, The Clockwork [...]
August 8th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Absolutely spot-on. Steampunk is one of the most exciting genres out there; it’s remarkably adaptable, with so much possibility from a literary perspective. I’m very looking forward to reading Boneshaker and getting a glimpse into your steampunkified world!
August 8th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
[...] no idea (or only a vague idea) what it is. So I’ve taken another stab at the topic over on TheClockworkCentury.com (since that’s where my steampunk universe hub is [...]
August 8th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
I like the idea that 19th century frontier America (with everything from the transcontinental railroad to the ironclads of the Civil War, from Manifest Destiny to class conflict) may be the closest reality came to Steampunk. If the internal combustion engine hadn’t been developed when and as quickly as it was, it almost seems a foregone conclusion that America would have evolved in a Steampunk direction. If you gaze back and squint, Steampunk America is almost visible …
Looking forward to Boneshaker and your history of America.
August 9th, 2009 at 12:26 am
If we are lucky, steampunk is what we will back up to instead of accepting the collapse of civilization with the end of cheap oil.
August 9th, 2009 at 12:38 am
Abundantly useful musings, Cherie.
An odd thing happens when I tell certain people that I’m working on a steampunk series: they roll their eyes and pronounce that steampunk is so 2007 (when they first heard of it), or so 1995 (Diamond Age), or so 1979 (Morlock Night), as if steampunk were some sort of fad. Maybe it’s because SP has its own clothes, its own music, and gets write-ups in newspapers (”It’s what the kidz are up to” –NY Times), all those things that fuddy-duddies associate with faddishness. So it’s great to read your thoughts on the deeper threads at work here.
Because really, what SPs are doing is taking personal control of technology and consumption. Saying, “Hey, current global industrial/economic methods, y’all can stick it.” And not in a back-to-nature way, because this is all about sweet, shiny, touchable, delicious tech.
And really, isn’t that what SF should be doing? Asking where technology has gone wrong and what aspects of it can be rewound and done over, but better? And, as you heartfully make clear, the same goes for history itself.
Maybe it’s all steampunk from here on out.
August 9th, 2009 at 1:37 am
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August 9th, 2009 at 1:40 am
Thanks everyone!
And Scott, (a). that’s one reason I left out the “where steampunk came from” angle from this post, and (b). I definitely agree re: the seizing personal control of tech and consumption.
In fact, I wanted to add a whole ‘nother segment on the oxygen school of design and steampunk aesthetics as a reaction to this, too — but then I get off on that rant about how a giant deathray killy machine should look like a giant deathray killy machine, and not an iPhone … and then there I go, right back off the rails again …
August 9th, 2009 at 3:02 am
That’s an excellent overview of Steampunk, and why it’s so *fun*.
August 9th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Cherie,
Job par excellence in explaining both the nature, and the fun, of steampunk. Those who have nitten the apple of its knowledge will never go back, nor be quite the same. Kudos.
August 9th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Wishing I had re-read my post before submitting. I meant “those who have bitten”, not “those who have nitten”. Sometimes spell check is a really good thing. Lol.
August 10th, 2009 at 11:57 am
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August 10th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
[...] This post was Twitted by simplywillow [...]
August 10th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
[...] This post was Twitted by mariedavis [...]
August 10th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Fabulous article! I intend to put a link to it on my blog! Nobody should miss this!
Don’t miss Warehouse 13 on SyFy!
August 11th, 2009 at 1:56 am
This was a really great article and I found it insightful as well! I have been drawn to the steampunk movement, but also have a feeling this is something my 10 yr old son is going to really get into. He loves mechanical things and treats every “invention” as art. Every art he has tried his hand at so far has become a machine of some sort (including a “cloning machine” made in pottery class). I have been perusing for old things he can take apart and explore along this direction.
Thanks again for sharing! Much fun!
August 11th, 2009 at 7:17 am
Great piece! Fun and useful – which I guess makes the article itself in the spirit of Steampunk.
I sent a link to the post to my best friend, a former lawyer who’s now a machinist at Los Alamos. He’s fascinated with both the techniques and philosophy (or maybe more accurately spirit) of 19th-century fabrication. We’re both kind of nuts on the subject of craft; I’ve been trying to explain Steampunk to him, and why I think the literature and culture might hold some interest for him, notwithstanding he’s not an SF fan.
Now I think I’ll let you do it for me. Thanks!
August 11th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
First of all: I like steampunk – books, clothes, art, music, gadgets goggles, airships….
Especially I like to read books – “steampunk” books.
Your article is extraordinary. Hey people over at wikipedia, read it and add it!!
Every one who would like to inhale some basics about steampunk should read it.
Now I know that you can’t fail with Boneshakers!
Of course Victorian London is great playground for steampunk novels. The books George Mann are just one example. And even he goes America with his 2010 novel the Ghosts of Manhattan.
From my point of view the steampunk genre as you described it has a great potential.
Finally I highly recommend following link to all people who are interested in steampunk:
STEAMPUNKOPEDIA
August 11th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
[...] Priest, author of the forthcoming Boneshaker, pins down some of the reasons why steampunk is so awesome. (Hint: it was bitten by a radioactive [...]
August 11th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Thanks for posting this! An enjoyable read, and your last paragraph especially has me wanting to check out more in this genre. Looking forward to Boneshaker!
August 13th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Great post. Thanks for pointing out that steampunk needn’t be limited to Victorian England – we’ve got a rich and colorful history on this side of the pond to draw upon. And forgive me if it’s been mentioned already but the Will Smith film version of Wild Wild West was steampunk eye candy for sure. But best viewed with sound off to avoid having to hear good actors trying to plow thru insipid dialogue.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:32 am
[...] Clockwork Century discussed the Steampunk genre and why it’s going to be around [...]
August 14th, 2009 at 11:25 am
[...] a bit sparse, but it looks like it’ll be a lot of fun. I like her disquisition on Steampunk, here. Posted in Books & Authors August 14th, 2009 by Chip No [...]
August 16th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
[...] interesting notes and links Nymeth tweeted a link to an awesome article on Steampunk last week: Steampunk: What it is, why I came to like it, and why I think it’ll stick around. This article is DEFINITELY worth a [...]
August 24th, 2009 at 1:02 am
My husband listened to me reading off the section about “Steampunk’s philosophy of salvage and customization” and he shouted – “The original Steampunk band is Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids! Dude – the kid is playing a radiator! Salvaged in a junk yark! and the other has ripped off the horn of a Victrola! Take that Abney Park!’
August 29th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Brilliant reflection, and I agree with your conclusions- Steampunk’s thorough-going critique and positive community-oriented response to our crazy consumer society will be what makes SP persist and grow far more than Goth or Punk ever did. I’m going to comment and link to you in a few days from my blog
September 2nd, 2009 at 6:49 am
[...] will stick around (while the West collapses) Posted on September 2, 2009 by jdalton3au Clockwork Century: Here’s a great blog about one person’s take on why steampunk will last. I think [...]
September 9th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
September 26th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Excellent article, and so much fun to read. Early American steampunk, particularly western, appeals to me quite a bit more than the usual Victorian England setting, too. I think this is because, as a chick, I bristle at the thought of being oh so prim and proper. I’m a roll-up-my-sleeves-and-get-it-done, Rosie the Riveter kinda gal.
October 4th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I was delighted to read that “steampunk is inclusive” here, that it considers the Other aspect that most of ruling cultural patterns don’t.
But it all was destroyed when you said that the first world is the real world. Not only delight was destroyed, but my respect for you and what you’d said about inclusive culture.
October 4th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Ren B – I’m not speaking of “first world” as “developed nations.”
It’s a literary designation that’s juxtaposed with “second world” settings — wherein “second world” only means “fantasy land that isn’t real-life earth anyplace” and “first world” means “here in real life somewhere on planet earth.”
The overlap hadn’t even occurred to me.
I might clarify a bit in the post; though it seems that folks who are generally familiar with speculative fiction lingo have not had this misunderstanding, I’d prefer to be clear for those who, perhaps, aren’t.
October 18th, 2009 at 1:29 am
Hey Cherie, I’ve been reading your posts at Tor.com (I just don’t respond because I have nothing to say) and am looking forward to reading Boneshaker. I just wanted to say I really appreciated this essay. There are so many people ready to disavow the punk of steampunk, and it’s so refreshing to see someone take a stand, especially to speak outright in support of those of us considered minorities. Thank you so much!
I linked your essay and mentioned a couple of points from your essay in a discussion at the Steampunk Empire Ning network. I hope someday we’ll see you there! =)
October 29th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
[...] simplest I could get, and also not very satisfying. Steampunk is an aesthetic, but it also has an ideological component, regarding inclusiveness, DIY, and a recycle/reuse ideal. That’s one of the things I really [...]
November 1st, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I just wanted to let you know that I really loved your articule. I have been trolling around steampunk Ideas for a while. The funny thing is now my sister, cousin and 12yo son are interested as well.
The reason I got into steampunk was because it incorporates everything I love, (history, arts n crafts,sewing jewelery making, reading and fun). I have always been cautious about getting into things because my family is multi-racel. (Black, Irish n Native American). So going to events I always felt like the token ethnic person. But steampunk is different – no one cares what race you are or where ur from. Thank you again for all the wonderful information.
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:55 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed your writing and the information. Brava!
I adore Steampunk and hope to fully immerse myself and what we call our home “The Faery Cottage” as a cross between Steampunk, Neo-Victorian and a touch of Faery-Celtic Whimsy.
Part of what I enjoy too about Steampunk is that it is so open, forgiving and allows your creativity to be its “limits”. Whatever is you can also be your part & parcel of Steampunk.
My husband & 2 daughters (21 & 15) are into Steampunk and we enjoy sharing this mutual love.
A plus in the Steampunk music scene is my family & I all love Abney Park. *shameless plug*
November 12th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
[...] another look at how someone defines steampunk, see the steampunk FAQ from Cherie [...]
November 13th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
[...] Gedanken zum Genre “Defining Steampunk“, das auch den Hinweis auf Cherie Priests Steampunk FAQ [...]
December 3rd, 2009 at 1:02 am
Ey oop.
I love steampunk, for the great big brass chunky stylings, the leather, the REALness of its artifacts in contrast to the aethereal little devices we use today (iPods, the touchscreen, screw you both).
Had no idea there was a steampunk music scene, but I’m imagining player-pianos and proto-skiffle…Wootszez.
I have to take issue with the idea that ’steampunk’ would be more sustainable than modern power production, as the Victorian era saw a major spike in environmental damage, brought on by, well, mass production and new inventions that harnessed steam. Nuclear power especially is INCREDIBLY clean, just rather dangerous to those in the immediate vicinity
. The purely mechanical, watch-like devices that crop up in steampunk though, yeah, I hear that.
And the obligatory recommendation:
China Mieville’s work is incredible, excellent all around. The technology is retro, the races are fantastic, but ominous references to nuclear holocaust abound and the possibility that this is our world, many years on, is left tantalisingly open. Richly painted in every way, his world defies the stereotypical steampunk settings and plots(though some of his characters are recognisable ‘types’, they are brought to life with considerable skill), and is cunningly designed to allow his imagination full, frequently horriffic, rein. If you haven’t read about the exploits of der Grimnebulin and Bellis Coldwine by now, and love steampunk, I strongly recommend this author.
Too Long: Don’t Read
December 6th, 2009 at 2:36 am
Thanks for the great article. I got interested in Steampunk when I watched “The Mutant Chronicles” and I don’t care what anyone says about that movie, I thought it was great!!!
December 6th, 2009 at 6:52 am
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February 5th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
[...] and Steampunk are buddies, well maybe more like friends who live in differing states and get to see each other [...]