Week 9 [11.12 - 17.12.2017] Universe of clockwork and steam machines

Mostly, when it comes to science fiction, we start thinking about spaceships, time travels, laser, lightsabres etc. Sci-fi is strongly associated with futuristic stories, but does it can only tell us about distant future? I want to tell you about one of the most unique and the most interesting subgenre of science fiction. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to present you The Steampunk.

What is it about?

As I’ve already told, Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction, or even science fantasy. It includes technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19-th century industrial steam-powered machinery and clockwork art.

Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has become the main source of energy, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power.

          

Origins

First steampunk works has emerged in the middle of 19-th century, even before the genre had a name. We are all familiar with novels of such authors like Jules Verne (Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days, From the Earth to the Moon) and Herbert Wells (The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds).

CBS series "The Wild Wild West" (1965 – 1969) was the first appearance of Steampunk on the TV.

The term "Steampunk" itself originated only in the late 1980s as a tongue-in-cheek variant of cyberpunk. It was science fiction author K. W. Jeter, who was trying to come up with a general term for works written by himself and such authors as H. Wells, Tim Powers (The Anubis Gates, 1983) and James Blaylock (Homunculus, 1986). He wrote a letter to science fiction magazine Locus, in which he mentioned the term for the first time in history:

Dear Locus,

Enclosed is a copy of my 1979 novel Morlock Night; I'd appreciate your being so good as to route it to Faren Miller, as it's a prime piece of evidence in the great debate as to who in "the Powers/Blaylock/Jeter fantasy triumvirate" was writing in the "gonzo-historical manner" first. Though of course, I did find her review in the March Locus to be quite flattering.

Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like "steam-punks," perhaps....

— K.W. Jeter

And so, it begins.

Steampunk in literature

  

Such authors as Jules Verne and Herbert Wells have created a whole new kind of science fiction. It is enough to recall Nautilus, the submarine of captain Nemo, the travel to the moon in the giant cannonball or time travel machine, based on gears and clockwork to spot the importance of these two authors for the whole genre. Their novels about anachronistic and still close to the steam era devices defined the very look of steampunk’s branch of science fiction.

     

In the 1990 William Gibson, author of the most popular cyberpunk novel “Neuromancer”, and Bruce Sterling, also well-known cyberpunk writer (Schismatrix (1985)) published novel called “The Difference Engine”. It is often credited with making Steampunk such popular and widely known genre. As you can guess, Gibson and Sterling followed the principles of cyberpunk writings even in alternative Victorian era setting, where two engineers created a steam-powered mechanical computer, the difference engine itself, that led to the dawn of the information age more than a century “ahead of schedule”. 

The title page of  "The Difference Engine"

Steampunk in games

1990s and early 2000s were the golden age for role-playing games, video- and board alike. Based on Dungeons & Dragons mechanics, a RPG called “Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura” was created. This game is a good example of symbiosis of steampunk as sci-fi subgenre and fantasy elements. 

Another good example is “Syberia”. It is quest game, where player must solve the mysteries of toy factory. The toys, produced here, are gear-powered automatons. All locations are filled with clockwork mechanisms or automatons. 

Games like Bioshock or Dishonored only use steampunk aesthetics. Their game’s worlds aren’t based on steam technologies, but the style of specific elements and the whole atmosphere is still close to the steampunk principles.

Steampunk in music

The musicians, that choose Steampunk as their domain work in various genres. Here I want to show you the most popular of them. I encourage you to listen them and observe how different steampunk can be:

Abney Park (Industrial dance, World music):

(The clip itself is about three minutes, the rest of it is just credits)

Vernian Process (Neoclassical dark wave, industrial, gothic rock, avant-garde):

(Here you can see some shots from movie version of H. Wells’ “The Time Machine”)

Doctor Steel (Industrial, hip hop, electronic, jazz, alternative rock, heavy metal):

The Cog is Dead (rock n' roll, ragtime, punk rock, reggae, showtunes):

Steam Powered Giraffe (folk rock, vaudeville):

Aurelio Voltaire (Dark cabaret, avant-garde):

Steampunk in television and movies

Karel Zeman (1910 - 1989), a Czech director, has become famous from combining live-action footage with animation (in the middle of 20^th century!). His most popular movies are The Fabulous World of Jules Verne, 1958 and The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, 1962. 

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen

The Fabulous World of Jules Verne

Doctor who series, both classic and new one, have a lot of elements of steampunk (Doctor’s outfits, TARDIS interior, a lot of environmental stuff, even some of the aliens).

Doctor himself in different reincarnations

TARDIS interior...

...and exterior

In many works of Hayao Miyazaki, such as Howl's Moving Castle, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Castle in the Sky story takes place in world based on steam technology and the world itself is full of the steampunk aesthetics.

Steampunk in fashion

In steampunk fashion there is a tendency to mix modern styles with Victorian era’s elements, such as bustles, corsets, suits with waistcoats, top hats, tailcoats or military-inspired garments. It also can be goggles, timepieces and parasols. Sometimes people stylize their mp3 players or cell phones, so that they will suit the whole image. 

As you can see, Steampunk is a very widespread genre, that can be found in every piece of modern media. I hope that it was interesting for you and you are going to love steampunk as I do. 

Sources:

My thougths.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk

Questions:

1. Have you ever heard about Steampunk before? How you get to know this genre?
2. Have you ever read the novel, watched the movie or listened to music bands I’ve mentioned? What do you think about it?
3. Do you know another good example of movie, novel or music in steampunk setting? If yes, please, tell about it.