On the Nature of Steampunk

On the nature and elements of Steampunk:  A Manifesto of Sorts.

Several things of late have caused me to ask myself “what exactly is this Steampunk beast?” Certainly, the genre began as a branch of Science Fiction, and certainly, it continues to be so, but it has, just as certainly, blossomed into something far more than that.  So today I sat down with laptop in lap to try to fathom this, to explore the world of Steam as movement and metaphor.  I chose to do an enumeration of sorts--though in no set or particular order-- collecting ideas and observations of the movement over the last few years.  Would love your comments, additions, and suggestions.

1) Steampunk as a movement is a yearning for self definition, much as the Renfaire, Burning Man, and other such communities are.  In a world where so much is “on your permanent record,” such movements allow one to say “THIS is who I am,” to re-define and reinvent one’s self to fit your potential, self image, and objectives and to be defined in some way by your own actions from this point forward, not to be locked in your own past circumstances, actions, or upbringings. It is world in which who you are is defined, not by what you did yesterday, but by the very next thing you do.

2) Steampunk is about the durable as opposed to disposable, about quality as opposed to quantity, and about the unique as opposed to the mass produced, As such, and in much the same way as in the Burning Man community, it is firmly a part of Maker culture, honoring those who build and do, and taking pride in the fruits of their efforts.  In other words, in the Steampunk ethos, artisans still hold a place of high regard, and anyone marketing junk for mere profit is likely to find themselves excoriated for it....and out of business.

3) Steampunk honors knowledge and experimentation:  Again, a part of Maker culture.  A huge percentage of the monikers taken by Steampunk affecianados include things like "Doctor" or "Professor" in the name.  Steampunk heroes and villains tend far more toward Captain Nemo, Sherlock Holmes, Professor Augustus S. H. X. Van Dusen, and others.  There are few purely machismo archetypes in the genre, and the strong and stupid tend to be portrayed as thugs rather than as role models.

4) Steampunk honors achievement over wealth, and the bold over the complacent.  If you can explore the Arctic and still run an investment company, so much the better, but it is likely the former that will be attached to your name, not the latter.  No one in Steampunk whines that explorations should be stopped because "who will pay for it when they have to be rescued?" as I've oft heard recently.  Steampunks know that the cost of NOT exploring, not adventuring and learning and risking, far outweigh the expense of sending an occasional rescue team after an errant airship (which itself becomes a bold adventure).  The glitterati, the bored, privileged and useless, do appear in the genre, but seldom, as it were, in starring roles.

5)  Steampunk is about civility.  It's that simple.  Even in disagreement, Steampunk adopts the formalisms of Victorian speech to bring civil address to what is increasingly becoming a mean and Uncivil society.  It is a projection of a gentler, less angry time onto our present world, and sadly needed. 

6)  Steampunk is the world we might have gotten had not greed and cheap energy intervened.  It is oft depicted as an outcome of the Victorian age in which the nasty bits of Victoriana:  Poverty, pollution, racism, Imperialism, sexism, and class privilege, have been transmuted into a world of mutual respect.  It is a world in which, at the very least, a pleasant life is obtainable by virtually everyone, and in which the fortunate feel compelled by society to accept a greater level of obligation to the society that made their success possible.

7)  Ironically, Steampunk, by its explorations of abandoned 19th century technology, its use of steam and of Tesla's theories, is far "greener" than our current solutions to our needs in many cases.  In some ways, the genre allows us to abandon the convenient but costly in favor of older, slower, more responsible methods of doing things.

8)  Steampunk is about freedom:  a decoupling from consumer society, from governmental overreach, from corporate hegemony.  It, like Maker and Burner culture, is about doing things for ourselves.  It is about a life at a human scale, often a very large one, but still one controlled by makers and users, not by investors and bankers.

9)  Steampunk is about beauty:  Everything must be beautiful, either through design or ornamentation.  Beauty is as important as function, it is key to the good and pleasant life.  Music should be beautiful, sewing machines should be beautiful, guns and gardens and airships and dinnerware, all should be a feast for the senses.

10)  Steampunk is insidious.  It is a revolution hiding in whimsey, an iron fist in a scented lace glove.  It is an ebony cane with a brass head backed by six years of Bartitsu training.  They'll never see it coming.

The above rant was first published by me in thesteampunkempire.com's discussion forums, and I thought I would share it here as well.

Kindly visit our other blogs:  The saga of the shantyboat "Floating Empire", Our onboard culinary blog Onboard Cooking, and Morgainne's excellent journal of an artist working on the water, Life, Art, Water

M