So what is Steampunk?

It's a nebulous thing, hard to pin down exactly, but in a couple of words, it's "looking at the future from the Victorian Era". How would 19th century folk approach modern technology within their own cultural framework? What would a Victorian style computer look like? If 19th century folk had laser weaponry, or spacecraft, what would they use them for, and where?

A short introduction from a few different perspectives:

Fiction:

Steampunk starts in fiction. Drawing from Jules Verne, H. P. Lovecraft, Arthur Conan Doyle, and further back to Cyrano de Bergerac, we can see what people from earlier times thought technology of the future would be and what it would look like.
Starting in the seventies, a number of authors started to write their own versions of 19th century literature with more modern technology and alternate history.
Some of the themes that are commonly used in steampunk - colonisation and warfare with more destructive technology; class struggles; intrigue, spycraft and technology theft; competition between societies with different levels of technology; women's liberation and suffrage; sky pirates in dirigibles and zeppelins; clockwork and steam powered variations on modern technology; automata; space travel and silly aliens; satirical use of Victorian idiom and gothic literature.

To be added - a bunch of classic steampunk books and authors.

Movies and television:

Steampunk has been working its way into television and movies since the 90s. Wild Wild West with Will Smith is a kind of steampunk western with the big steampowered spider. The pirates in Stardust, the atmosphere of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and The City of Lost Children, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen adaptation, Van Helsing, the Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli), etc.

An Australian steampunk animation won awards recently - The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello. Other short films, such as The Gentleman's Duel, have been popular across the internet.

Fashion:

Steampunk fashion has its own variations, usually along the kind of persona one wishes to convey :- engineer, mad scientist, street rats, dandy, aristocrat, adventurer, academic, sky pirate, etc. There are, however, common themes that keep coming up. Brass (and to a lesser degree, copper and silver) is common to many costumes, as are goggles, cogs and clockwork.

For the ladies:
Corsetry (on the outside), bustle gowns, carefully tattered skirts, floor length swooshy skirts, closely tailored bodices, peasant blouses, haute-couture hats and millinery, long gloves, feminine-tailored military coats, over-the-top costume jewellery, frills and lace, ...

For gentlemen:
Army boots and cavalry boots, lab coats, tail coats, flight caps and goggles, kilts, safari suits, pith helmets, top hats, waistcoats, military coats, dusters, ...

For everyone:
Pocket watches, things with cogs on, accessories of all sorts, antique keys, coloured lensed glasses, hand telescopes, dreadlocks, military/pirate themes, steam-powered techno-bits, ...

One of the best bits is that you don't have to be exactly historical, and it's good to be doing something that is out of the ordinary. Originality is highly prized, as is a feeling of do-it-yourself and handicraft. Since steampunk has exploded in popularity over the last few years (much to some people's chagrin), there are some more mass-produced accessories and costume pieces, but doing it yourself and/or getting individually made and handcrafted pieces is considered more, uhh, authentic, I suppose.

Music:

Steampunk music, at the moment, is very diverse. A lot of steampunk fans come from alternative culture, and there's a strong connection to gothic, industrial and punk culture, so some of the most popular bands connected with steampunk are in that vein - Abney Park (who masquerade as sky-pirates), the Vernian Process, and Rasputina. Others have created their own variations. Doctor Steel (who is more than a musician) is connected to steampunk. James Darcy Argue do jazz with a Victorian feel. Circus Contraption did a variety show with music somewhere between Victorian polka, ragtime and circus music (a lot of fun!). It seems that you can do what you want at the moment. No word yet on steampunk dance (I'm working on it...).

Events:

Gatherings are found in most of the English speaking world. Look out for sci-fi conventions, role playing groups, themed balls, music festivals and ren-faire connected events. The Maker Faire is one of the biggest gatherings, and Burning Man often has a big steampunk influence these days.
But much of the action is on the internet.

Steampunk on the Internet:
Essential Links:
Brass Goggles - Steampunk Blog and forum. Pretty much the home of steampunk on the internet, and the best way to find other fans in your area on the forum.
Wikipedia's Steampunk page - a good place to start if you're looking for history, reading material and links. It's well constructed.
Flickr steampunk image search - Thousands of photos of people's costumes, events and pieces. Refine the search to DragonCon for some amazing looks.
Steampunk Workshop - The home of Jake von Slatt, one of the preeminent steampunk modders. Look at his creations, including computers, a laptop and more.
Steampunk Magazine - the Creative Commons licensed steampunk magazine, now into its sixth issue, filled with articles, short fiction, discussion, reviews, etc. Check out issue two for a history of steampunk and a guide to different steampunk personas.

Masterful, Will. Thanks so much.

I wonder how many novels we can list. I'll start with a couple YA stories by Kenneth Oppel: Airborn and Skybreaker.

I've recently read Affinity Bridge and The Diamond Age both steampunk.

Wikipedia's discussion also includes a list of works - books, comics, movies, music, etc. It's definitely a good starting place!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ste...

Items in my catalog I've tagged steampunk:

The Island by Tim Lebbon
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt
Steampunk by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer
Mainspring by Jay Lake
The Gnome's Engine and Goblin Moon by Teresa Edgerton
The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes

Also, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, volumes 1 and 2. This list doesn't include the quite a few steampunk books I read before joining LT.

Yeah, I'm a fan.

Message edited by its author, Oct 5, 2009, 9:06pm.

I'm quite a novice fan, love the genre but have barely dabbled in it.

One of the first, perhaps the first, of DC Comics' Elseworld series of alternate takes on their heroes was still the best, Gotham By Gaslight. Read it, a Victorian era Batman rocks!

Okay, I've read The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but hadn't considered it in the light of steampunk necessarily. I recognize what might be considered the steampunk of Will Smith and Kevin Kline in The Wild, Wild West. I read the Vandermeer anthology as well. But is the joy of steampunk primarily in the (admittedly enjoyable) funkiness of nostalgia for the early days of scientific discovery and integration?

And on another side topic, are there women authors of steampunk? I only see male names.

Yes! Catherine Webb writes JF steampunkish fiction, such as The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle. I'm pretty sure Ginn Hale is a woman. Cherie Priest is someone to watch out for. Her new book Boneshaker is supposed to be *big* (I have it on order).

What have I tagged steampunk?

Perdido Street Station (China Mieville)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Brian Selznick)
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (vols 1 and 2) (Alan Moore)
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters and The Dark Volume (Gordon Dahlquist)
Mortal Engines (Philip Reeve)
Larklight, Starcross and Mothstorm (Philip Reeve)
Five Fists of Science (Matt Fraction)
The Hollow Earth (Rudy Rucker)
The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle and The Obsidian Dagger (Catherine Webb)
Blaze of Glory, Heart of Gold, Word of Honour and Time of Trial (Michael Pryor)
Aetheric Mechanics (Warren Ellis - also the author of the Freakangels webcomic)
Doctor Who: The Doctor Trap (Simon Messingham - this one was kind of disappointing, actually)
The Cloud Chasers
Gotham by Gaslight
Worldshaker (Richard Harland)

I still count myself as a novice fan. I haven't yet read The Difference Engine, Anathem, The Diamond Age or any of the 70s classics. They're all on my TBR, but half of them I have to get second hand or order off the net.

You can probably tell by my list above that I prefer the whimsical and satirical over the dark and gothic. That's just how I am.

Message edited by its author, Oct 6, 2009, 7:56pm.

Thanks Will! I can't call myself a fan, but I will call myself an admirerer. So just reading your description above, an author who strikes me as sort of steampunk in reverse, if you will, is Jasper Fforde and his Tuesday Next novels. They take place in an alternate modern world but with gadget hearkening back to the past (dodos, dirigibles, etc.).

In regards to the silver screen, Steamboy was an excellent steampunk movie. Lots of action, well-told, and beautifully illustrated (it's an anime movie).

I haven't read too many steampunk novels at all. I might have to find one or two to introduce myself into the sub-genre.

L.E. Modesitt Jr. has a series about Johan Eschbach that is steam punk & interesting. Entropy is a bit different, so there are ghosts. Good reading for this month. The first book is Of Tangible Ghosts.

WRT the aforementioned Perdido Street Station I just scored a FREE copy at the Sony Reader ebook store site.

I know, I know, I'm a heretic and read ebooks. No dead trees for me if I can help it, t least until I clear off some shelf space!

Wow this finally answers my unasked question of "what the heck is this Steampunk everyone keeps going on about" thanks Will :)
Might have to have a nosy at some of these books in the near future once i've got time to read something else besides my scary looking reading lists :S

#8 -- MrsLee, you put that very nicely, so I will adopt it: I also am not a fan, but an admirer. I like the steampunk "look" (clothing as well as gadgets) and think it's lots of fun, but I haven't done a lot of reading in the genre. I did like Larklight, though I haven't read the sequels yet. I also think the Chrestomanci books, particularly Charmed Life, have a steampunk feel to them.

Went to the Maker Faire this year and it was awesome. Steampunk is only one of its charms, however, since it's got everything handmade you could think of (I bought yarn) and lots of cool science. The Tesla coil and the Lego village were the best things there, besides the steampunk/fire stuff. Oh and the life-sized Mousetrap game. That was cool.

A lot of steampunk can be summarized by saying that people want to live in the world of "The Time Machine" and "20,000 leagues under the sea"

Nothing wrong with that - but I find I am usually about 80% right about what is or is not part of steampunk by thinking of those films.

15 - That's about right. The other 20% is people who just like a single aspect of it (e.g. fashion) and incorporate that into whatever they do, sometimes with more success than others.

Movie-wise, what I have lying around is: The Prestige and The Illusionist (among which I refuse to say which is better), Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (which is perhaps more accurately dieselpunk, but no one really cares), Stardust, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, etc.

I had not heard of Warehouse 13. I will be investigating it forthwith.

I actually have both read and viewed The Prestige; I wouldn't have thought of that as steam punk so I want to consider that a bit. I haven't read any China Mieville because I thought his work was supposed to be very dark, urban punk fantasy. How does the steampunk fit into that? Or is my understanding of Perdido Street Station mistaken?

(See, I *knew* folks (besides me) needed an educational thread on this topic)

By the way, WillSteed, check that touchstone for Anathem in your posting of titles. The Anathema link you provide takes the user to a book record for a Christian romance novel about the Amish. Don't think it quite meets your criteria...

Message edited by its author, Oct 6, 2009, 7:22pm.

I think Terry Gilliam's Brazil is kinda steampunky, from what I remember. "Ducts!"

I think I mentioned how Cherie Priest is supposed to be *big* soon? This is why, from her own introductions to steampunk on her blog:
Here and here

She's just recently caught me as a fan. I think I'm hooked.

I read Ekaterina Sedia's Alchemy of Stone this year. I'd say it has a lot of steampunky aspects.

Has anyone read Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun? While it's not primarily a steampunk work, the "black mechanics" and overall level of technology and everyday life reminds me of the nineteenth century.

Wow. Now I'm wondering if and where I can find a good Steampunk LARP?

I can't see becoming a Steampunk enthusiast in RL. At heart, I'm just too modest (traditional?) to properly pursue the style. But I tried a LOTR-technology LARP and honestly just didn't get it. Figured I wasn't a LARPer at heart.

But then I read Will's post and I can't help thinking, "That would be so incredibly cool to game."

Has anybody seen this anywhere? Or at least, is there a Steampunk tabletop RPG (pen-and-paper) that anyone can point me to?

P.S. Would Lord Darcy come anywhere near the Steampunk genre? I really enjoyed it and it also sparked my imagination.

I hope this won't be considered spamming. I have no monetary stake in this.

I wanted to mention that my girlfriend is a big fan of steampunk and is the creator & event coordinator of the Steampunk Exhibition Ball. It will be held at Seattle's Museum of History And Industry. It's a 21+ event.

SPAMMER! SPAMMER! SPAMMERSPAMMERSPAMMER!

Hee heeee, just kidding!

It's perfectly appropriate to announce something you or your girlfriend are involved in, especially as a topical reply to someone else's post.

It's really only spam if you come here solely to promote something, or if you repeatedly hit us over the head with something in an irritating and self-serving way. Just my humble opinion.

Oh, and bonus points for having an ultra-cool girlfriend! :>)

That's hardly spamming, monohex. It's totally relevant.

Walktowork - There are steampunk LARPs in most major cities in the US. If you're near one, you might find one advertised on the Brass Goggles forum, in the geographical subforum.

I've worked out that a few friends and I will be at WorldCon in Melbourne next September. I've decided that I'll be dressed up, somehow. GD meet-up is quite the possibility there.

That's hardly spamming, monohex. It's totally relevant.

Walktowork - There are steampunk LARPs in most major cities in the US. If you're near one, you might find one advertised on the Brass Goggles forum, in the geographical subforum.

I've worked out that a few friends and I will be at WorldCon in Melbourne next September. I've decided that I'll be dressed up, somehow. GD meet-up is quite the possibility there.

walk2work -
I'm just finding out about this topic myself but when I read that you were thinking up a game, Myst came to mind. If you never played it before, give it a try. I think it falls into this genre.

Thanks for the post, mamzel. Alas, I do not video game, except for free online crosswords and other puzzly things. I prefer to do my geeking out live and in person.

I may design a steampunk costume for my next major con adventure.

Nice article here about what Steampunk is.

Steampunk 101

There was one coulda, shoulda been great Steampunk game Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Sadly, the awkward mechanics and buggy gameplay ruined it. It had some terrific cut scenes for 2001.

Message edited by its author, Oct 7, 2009, 10:22pm.

Oh, and thanks for the steer Mono. I may attend. That sort of thing is right up my alley save for the costumes.

I got an email today from Tor Books about a new short story with a Steampunk theme, entitled Zeppelin City. If you're interested, the URL is:
http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_...

Will, I have this whole thread starred so I can find it easily. ^-^

And, for now, I'll just share a steampunk-themed cake:
http://www.gearfuse.com/steampunk-weddin...

Because, truly, how cool is that?

#20 I loved the ideas in The Alchemy of Stone! (But I hold to the opinion that little men made of blood should not be allowed to be so darned cute.)

Shanra, that is an incredible cake! I love the cakes where everything is edible, but doesn't look it. :) I'm a former cake decorator, but that takes the art to a whole new level.

Someone linked me to that on BrassGoggles. Oh, my, I like the look of that cake.

That cake is *amazing*! Wow! (And don't you kind of wish you knew the story of the couple whose wedding cake it was?)

Although they call it gaslamp fantasy, Girl Genius probably qualifies as steampunk. (www.girlgeniusonline.com)

It totally counts. One of the things I like about steampunk is that its definition is as broad as you want to make it (within the realms of common sense).

The other one I like is that it encourages DIY, reimagining old stuff and looking at new things in an old, but different way.

Well, I just went to look at Girl Genius and got sucked in for an hour and a half!

I've been reading Girl Genius for years, LOVE IT! I stay up late just to get the updates, which pop pretty reliably at midnight eastern time, MWF.

A friend of mine just shared this link on FB, Cake Wrecks just did a feature on Steampunk cakes! Look at their page for Sunday, October 11

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Over at SteamPunk Workshop (http://steampunkworkshop.com/) it is mentioned that Thor books have a SteamPunk month (http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=57547).

If you live near Seattle USA, you may want to attend SteamPunk con 2009: http://steampunkworkshop.com/steamcon-se... on 23-25 October

#38, I knew something like one person (two maybe) who reads GG before you all mentioned it in the stuff bought thread and here. (Just a few more weeks and my volumes will be sent out to me. Just a few more weeks. And gods-know when they'll arrive. I know I'm all caught up on it, but gah!)

I feel slightly luckier, though. I can go to bed knowing that my morning will be greeted by a healthy dose of GG.

ran across this article on Steampunk Essentials. Thought some of you might find the list interesting. I was surprised by some of the books listed, although thinking about it, perhaps not so much:

http://etheremporium.pbworks.com/Steampu...

I imagine all the Seattle area folks already know this but at the Star Wars Concert Tuesday I heard there was a steampunk convention happening here, so: http://www.steam-con.com/

I don't know if I have the time or the money or the interest but it might be fun to go explore....

#43

If you go, say hi to my girlfriend- she's of of the people responsible for the event. I helped with some of the logistics of the photo-booth that will be there.

Great list, although I would never classify EVERYTHING by Edgar Allan Poe as Steampunk! I can see certain tales, but I mean really!?

42 & 45 - Hmmm, Frankenstein I get, but Dracula? Perhaps it is the mood as much as the techno bits?

I guess it's the time period that is being included with some of these stories, even if there is no techno elements. Must be why they include all Poe rather than specific stories.

I think the inclusion of Poe is as one of the foundations of style and content, like Verne, Dickens, Wells, etc. If you want to write "in style", they'll be your references for phrasing, rhythm, slang, etc.

#48 I agree. I hadn't originally thought of many of those works as being precursor steampunk, but thinking about it.... altho I'd add all the Ripper stuff and Sherlock Holmes stuff. Interesting he added Doyle but not that.

As I originally said, I had quite a few surprises when I read that list.

Actually, as I scanned the list of "essentials", what I think I picked up as common themes across the board of past and present literary classics and film were those of subversiveness, underground activity, the individual against the (social and cultural) machine. So perhaps it's not just the period-piece literary styles but those undercurrents that unite the likes of H. Rider Haggard, Mary Shelley, Lemony Snicket, and William Gibson?

Note this was something of an off-the-cuff analysis so please feel free to disagree...

There's a reason that the -punk bit on the end is sometimes merited. Although a lot of people object (sometimes strongly) to the -punk suffix, saying that there's nothing punk about it, I disagree. For a lot of people in the movement, there's a degree of subversiveness and rebellion against the modern status quo - rejecting the notion that smooth, plastic and minimalist is the best look, when really it's just the look of the early 21st century, rejecting mass-produced stuff in favour of handmade, recycled and diy stuff, etc. - and in a lot of cases, just doing something different.
Sure, it's not anarchist, or a complete rejection of all things modern, but it's a SUB-culture, which means that you're in the minority and not ashamed of it. It takes a degree of courage to walk around in public in a waistcoat, top hat and ray gun, and it throws people off their tracks a little, making them reconsider what's normal, and if it's a bad thing to not be normal.
Furthermore, although it's not true for all steampunk, it's an alternative subculture where you're often looking more sharply dressed than the general public, rather than deliberately tatty or deliberately "not-pretty". (The same can be said of the Japanese Loli and Aristo fashions, too). It's almost like it's punking punk.

#17 "I haven't read any China Mieville because I thought his work was supposed to be very dark, urban punk fantasy. How does the steampunk fit into that? Or is my understanding of Perdido Street Station mistaken?
"

Perdido is absolutely "very dark". It's certainly one of the most disturbing novels I read last year. Urban fantasy? I include it as such, as it's set in a city. However any links to 'normal' cities (such as say London) are extremely remote, although possibally just about percievable. It gets into steampunk because it has that victorean air to some of it's contraptions, although there is also a lot of magic and alcamey around too.

Thread necromancy...

...in order to post a video of some of my new favourite people. The League of S.T.E.A.M, aka The Steampunk Ghostbusters.

This is the first of their youtube episodes:
Monkey Business

nice Will *grin*

Fun :)