The "Steam"
For the most part, "steampunk" can usually be tied to the eve of the Industrial Revolution, and the effects it had on the people. It makes sense that many steampunk fiction explores the time period where industrialization took root, where the steam-powered mechanisms came to be a part of working class society. You can say that this kind of progression leads up to what is now considered the Victorian era.
Now bear with me, because I'm going to try to do a brief backdrop of what sparked the steampunk subgenre (which means a look at points of history, yaaaaay!).
Now bear with me, because I'm going to try to do a brief backdrop of what sparked the steampunk subgenre (which means a look at points of history, yaaaaay!).
Industrial Revolution
Prior to the late 1700s, most societies depended on an agrarian lifestyle--that is, almost everything was made by hand or was subjected to a day's worth of hard labor. Farms were the big thing, and often mastery of a field was the only way to gain any working profit. But innovators such as Thomas Newcomen and James Watt had begun developing the use of steam engines to power machines, and by the 1780s, boats and mills and textiles were being supported by steam power, to a rapid growth of efficiency and industry.
The Industrial Revolution was a grand change for society as a whole. Manufacturing processes had become less specialized, and more and more people were able to gain income and work within a company plant. Workers themselves increased in output a thousand times over. Living standards grew, and by the 1800s, the steam engine became a major staple within the rapidly growing modes of transportation.
The Industrial Revolution was not exclusive to the British Empire. Continental Europe followed suit on steam power--though this took years after Britain's industrial boom. The United States still relied heavily on water power during the age of industrialization, though the rest of the country began using steam engines after the American Civil War in the 1860s. It took Japan almost a century to "Westernize," building railroads and improving roads to catch up to its Western counterparts (thereby bringing an end to its isolated feudal society).
The Industrial Revolution was a grand change for society as a whole. Manufacturing processes had become less specialized, and more and more people were able to gain income and work within a company plant. Workers themselves increased in output a thousand times over. Living standards grew, and by the 1800s, the steam engine became a major staple within the rapidly growing modes of transportation.
The Industrial Revolution was not exclusive to the British Empire. Continental Europe followed suit on steam power--though this took years after Britain's industrial boom. The United States still relied heavily on water power during the age of industrialization, though the rest of the country began using steam engines after the American Civil War in the 1860s. It took Japan almost a century to "Westernize," building railroads and improving roads to catch up to its Western counterparts (thereby bringing an end to its isolated feudal society).
Victorian England
The Victorian era is an important time period with regards to the British Empire and to steampunk fiction. It is also a time period that slightly coincided with America's Gilded Age and continental Europe's Belle Époque (predominantly in France and Belgium). Regardless of the terms used to identify the time period between 1837 to the early Edwardian era of 1901, the idea behind the age was predominantly that of peace, technological and cultural growth, and prosperity.
British history pegs the Victorian era as the 20-year reign of monarch Queen Victoria. At the time, the Empire grew by leaps and bounds. Hand in hand with the Industrial Revolution, the time period saw an increase in population and living conditions. Romanticism took the society by force, and the Industrial Revolution brought up an increase in the middle class.
Victorian Britain--as well as many other countries at the time--also saw a rise in the entertainment venues. Victorian literature--often indicative of its time period--grew in leaps and bounds. Fashion and industry became a romantic adventure; Baroque architecture regained popularity, and often when we think of the Victorian era in literature, we're seeing images of long coats and top hats in men and corsets and layered, heavy skirts in women. It sounds a bit dry and boring, but this is probably why steampunk tends to take the Victorian era to a different level.
British history pegs the Victorian era as the 20-year reign of monarch Queen Victoria. At the time, the Empire grew by leaps and bounds. Hand in hand with the Industrial Revolution, the time period saw an increase in population and living conditions. Romanticism took the society by force, and the Industrial Revolution brought up an increase in the middle class.
Victorian Britain--as well as many other countries at the time--also saw a rise in the entertainment venues. Victorian literature--often indicative of its time period--grew in leaps and bounds. Fashion and industry became a romantic adventure; Baroque architecture regained popularity, and often when we think of the Victorian era in literature, we're seeing images of long coats and top hats in men and corsets and layered, heavy skirts in women. It sounds a bit dry and boring, but this is probably why steampunk tends to take the Victorian era to a different level.
The "Punk"
As peaceful and prosperous as the Victorian era seems to be, it was not by all means perfect. Because of the low-level skill-set that industrialization brought forth, workers were paid very little for long hours, and if they got sick or slacked in duty, they were easily replaced. Certain areas in cities also suffered, with a constant glut of the lower-class, and slums grew in numbers--even to the point where poor working women had to debase themselves for a measly ha'penny.
Factories themselves were also problematic areas. Steam power, while efficient at the time, had its fair share of dangers. Railways and mills could very well injure and cause death to workers if they weren't careful. Smog and other pollutants engulfed largely industrial areas, causing an increase in health issues to those who lived nearby. While there was largely foreign peace, that didn't mean a lack of political and religious reform throughout the country. Women suffrage was a huge deal, as were union strikes and social climates. It was a romanticized world, but at the same time, one cannot ignore the dirt and the grit that would lay the conflicting foundations of steampunk fiction.
Factories themselves were also problematic areas. Steam power, while efficient at the time, had its fair share of dangers. Railways and mills could very well injure and cause death to workers if they weren't careful. Smog and other pollutants engulfed largely industrial areas, causing an increase in health issues to those who lived nearby. While there was largely foreign peace, that didn't mean a lack of political and religious reform throughout the country. Women suffrage was a huge deal, as were union strikes and social climates. It was a romanticized world, but at the same time, one cannot ignore the dirt and the grit that would lay the conflicting foundations of steampunk fiction.
Alternative Histories
While beginning steampunk works were largely based on Victorian era and England in general, later fiction begins to branch off to encompass more than just the "steam" and "punk" of British industrialization. In fact, many authors have written about various areas and time periods, encompassing the elements of steam or--to more modernist takes of steampunk--clockwork and/or automata in various genres. Writers are changing histories and speculating on the future. They are incorporating fantasy worlds, modern occurrences, wars, or supernatural creatures (sometimes a combination of!).
WarsWhether it's a World War or a Civil War, steampunk is prevalent through the presence of mechanical body parts, steam-powered soldiers and weaponry, and innovative transports.
Great examples of this type of fiction include Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy (World War I), Cherie Priest's Boneshaker (American Civil War), and Joseph Nassise's The Great Undead War series (World War I). |
ElsewhereLocation is also a big question when it comes to steampunk. While England still tends to be the heart of steampunk fiction, many writers have since moved to other historical settings when writing their stories.
Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris' Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series take place in New Zealand, while Priest's Boneshaker is based in Seattle, and Westerfeld's Behemoth has a story in Istanbul, while Goliath encompasses several locations, including Russia, Japan, and Mexico. |
Fantastical WorldsThere are the parallel earths and the fantasy worlds. These places are probably based on real-world cities, or created solely as a fantasy contrast to the "science" of steampunk.
In any case, some examples include Dru Pagliassotti's Clockwork Heart (with his fantasy City of Ondinium), Ekaterina Sedia's The Alchemy of Stone (which is located in a Victorian-era city-state), and Terry Pratchett's Raising Steam (a steampunk novel taking place in the 18th and 19th century-inspired city-state of Ankh Morpork). |
Space FutureThen, as if changing history and creating cities weren't enough, there are also authors who embark on a futuristic adventure with a steampunk look, or those authors who go back to a Victorian era but put their world in space.
Some examples of this include Philip Reeve's Larklight (involving a "house" spaceship floating across deep space) and Richard Harland's Worldshaker series (which takes place in a futuristic city-ship). |
Now onto the Assignment!