Steampunk, 2012

[staticgirl]

In the late 80s goth started splitting off into a bunch of sub-genres, some of which were the Vampire goths and the Victorian goths (often the same thing). I think the steampunk scene had developed out of that or coincedentally happened at the same time and attracted a lot of the same people. I often said 'Steampunk is what happens when Goths Wear Brown' but in recent years it has extended its appeal significantly outside the goth scene.

I see the socialising, clothes and nerf gun adaptation side of it as being separate from the books but both sides are feeding each other. It is a highly attractive visual style but for many of the outfits and adapted things it evokes the look of Victorian craftsmanship without having the functionality or the level of craft skill that would have been involved in the past (it does have a DIY emphasis which is more Arts and Crafts Movement in aspiration than Victorian factories and mass manufacture IMO). It does feel as if many of its fans hold views on history and politics are mostly conservative-with-a-small-c  'things were better then' and avoiding the hard realities of the latter end of the Industrial Revolution.  If they want to see women more modestly dressed why are so many of the women dressed with corsets and legs on show which was the dress of a prostitute? It suggests there are different factions - some more subversive than others.

The books can be quite interesting. Even the pulpier 'investigating Victorian bogeymen in personal flying dirigibles' books can not quite avoid the dirtier side of Victoriana if it is going to be an effective thriller and you've all already pointed to some of the most interesting explorations of the steam/diesel/castle-punk idea. I like the idea that by writing a science fiction story about the past you can analyse various moments in history by turning them on their heads and exploring what didn't happen as much as what did. It sometimes provides insight into how and why certain things happened - just as long as the writer knows their history as well as they know their science. As soon as there's the slightest hint of Mary Poppins style cockney, I'm out of there.

Steampunk and its variants is getting so big now you can't say it is one thing or the other but attempt to describe a few of the different strands. From the outside it does look like a bunch of people playing dress up but when someone involved starts talking about it you realise there's a lot of different elements.

Anybody see the Castle steampunk episode? It was funny.