A Sub of a Subgenre
There have been a lot of people debating the stuff and nonsense of the steampunk subgenre having oodles of other categories that keep a work from being "steampunk." There are articles stating that steampunk fiction isn't really steampunk fiction if it doesn't have "the steam." There are articles saying that the sub-subgenres are a bad idea to use, because it separates fiction from "real steampunk." And the debates go on and on and so forth ad infinitum.
I in no way want to jump in on this sub-subgenre "conflict," nor do I want to turn this lesson into a giant rant about the subject. Tee Morris has written an excellent article on his concerns about the sub-subgenres of steampunk, so if you would like to read up on it, go ahead.
The way I see it, the sub-subgenres are something I use to classify the steampunk into some of the elements that are predominantly found within a particular story. No steampunk fiction is solely "spypunk," because likely the setting might be a "gaslight romance." So when I talk about these sub-subgenres, they're just the types of elements of steampunk you can find in a steampunk work, not the type of work the book is, and certainly not a way to classify why the work is "kind of steampunk, but really not." Steampunk fiction is steampunk fiction, plain and simple.
All that being said, steampunk contains many elements, and I found it made some sense to try to break down these elements to a certain degree.
I in no way want to jump in on this sub-subgenre "conflict," nor do I want to turn this lesson into a giant rant about the subject. Tee Morris has written an excellent article on his concerns about the sub-subgenres of steampunk, so if you would like to read up on it, go ahead.
The way I see it, the sub-subgenres are something I use to classify the steampunk into some of the elements that are predominantly found within a particular story. No steampunk fiction is solely "spypunk," because likely the setting might be a "gaslight romance." So when I talk about these sub-subgenres, they're just the types of elements of steampunk you can find in a steampunk work, not the type of work the book is, and certainly not a way to classify why the work is "kind of steampunk, but really not." Steampunk fiction is steampunk fiction, plain and simple.
All that being said, steampunk contains many elements, and I found it made some sense to try to break down these elements to a certain degree.
Elements of Steam"____"punk
Boilerpunk
The presence of laborers and their hardships through soot-stained neighborhoods and slums. Sheer class differences seen, though the focus is on the coal-shoveling masses as opposed to the cream of steampunk society. Example: A miner comes home to see machines tearing down his yard to make way for a new rail line.
Clockpunk
While steam power is generally the accepted steampunk energy source, gears and clock mechanism is also a popular technology base. Who isn't fascinated by the aesthetic beauty and elegance in which little pieces join to form a working whole? Plus, it's a green kind of retro-technology. Example: An automaton is turned on with the use of a windup key.
The presence of laborers and their hardships through soot-stained neighborhoods and slums. Sheer class differences seen, though the focus is on the coal-shoveling masses as opposed to the cream of steampunk society. Example: A miner comes home to see machines tearing down his yard to make way for a new rail line.
Clockpunk
While steam power is generally the accepted steampunk energy source, gears and clock mechanism is also a popular technology base. Who isn't fascinated by the aesthetic beauty and elegance in which little pieces join to form a working whole? Plus, it's a green kind of retro-technology. Example: An automaton is turned on with the use of a windup key.
Mannerpunk
The Season is on and it's time for some social climbing amidst the upper class! This element describes the use of strategy and verbal tact in order to maneuver around a social arena. Usually while traipsing around in suits and gowns, along dancing avenues of thinly concealed mayhem. Example: Conversations of gossip, scandal, and plots over a fashionable sitting of tea and crumpets.
Stitchpunk
This element is an emphasis to the tinkers of steampunk fiction. Do-it-yourself crafts have always been a celebration of the subgenre, because it portrays the individual instinct of the craftsmen and craftswomen. Stories with this element tend to include weavers and darners as characters. Example: Creatures that have been stitched together suddenly come to life and try to survive a harsh, retro-tech environment.
The Season is on and it's time for some social climbing amidst the upper class! This element describes the use of strategy and verbal tact in order to maneuver around a social arena. Usually while traipsing around in suits and gowns, along dancing avenues of thinly concealed mayhem. Example: Conversations of gossip, scandal, and plots over a fashionable sitting of tea and crumpets.
Stitchpunk
This element is an emphasis to the tinkers of steampunk fiction. Do-it-yourself crafts have always been a celebration of the subgenre, because it portrays the individual instinct of the craftsmen and craftswomen. Stories with this element tend to include weavers and darners as characters. Example: Creatures that have been stitched together suddenly come to life and try to survive a harsh, retro-tech environment.
Spypunk
Who doesn't love the gadgets? I know I do! This one deals with the covert operations with the use of retro gadgets, like, oh, I don't know, multi-purpose sonic screwdrivers or whirligig machines that go ding. Whatever the case, the custom-crafted gadgets are a must for the working intelligencer. Example: A Victorian detective's retracting spyglass hidden compactly inside his sleeve.
Gaslight Fantasy/Romance
Not necessarily lumped in together (sometimes you do get a bit of fantasy without meddling with romance and vice versa). Sometimes this is historical, sometimes it occurs elsewhere in the world. But in any case, these elements tend to put some glamour into the Victorian era. Maybe they even throw in a supernatural being or two. Example: Vampires roam the city of London dressed in top hats or corseted gowns. Likely they're holding up parasols.
Who doesn't love the gadgets? I know I do! This one deals with the covert operations with the use of retro gadgets, like, oh, I don't know, multi-purpose sonic screwdrivers or whirligig machines that go ding. Whatever the case, the custom-crafted gadgets are a must for the working intelligencer. Example: A Victorian detective's retracting spyglass hidden compactly inside his sleeve.
Gaslight Fantasy/Romance
Not necessarily lumped in together (sometimes you do get a bit of fantasy without meddling with romance and vice versa). Sometimes this is historical, sometimes it occurs elsewhere in the world. But in any case, these elements tend to put some glamour into the Victorian era. Maybe they even throw in a supernatural being or two. Example: Vampires roam the city of London dressed in top hats or corseted gowns. Likely they're holding up parasols.
Neo-Victoriana/Gothic Lolita
This type of steampunk mixes itself with Gothic themes and goes beyond the standard Victorian age. Often the Lolita aspect includes a more playful and flirty side to the Gothic. Lots of frills and pink and black. And sometimes that in itself can be quite scary. Example: An adorably crafted porcelain doll gets a sudden life of its own, searching the area for souls.
Weird West
Let's not forget the Westerns! There's more to steampunk than the metropolises of society. What about those in the wild west? Clearly there is plenty of steampunkery happening there as well! This element involves frontier technology, guns and trains and sometimes even mechanical horse transports. Example: A young woman has a wide collection of retro-guns located in her heavily defended ranch. Don't mess with a girl in cowboy hats and boots, I say.
This type of steampunk mixes itself with Gothic themes and goes beyond the standard Victorian age. Often the Lolita aspect includes a more playful and flirty side to the Gothic. Lots of frills and pink and black. And sometimes that in itself can be quite scary. Example: An adorably crafted porcelain doll gets a sudden life of its own, searching the area for souls.
Weird West
Let's not forget the Westerns! There's more to steampunk than the metropolises of society. What about those in the wild west? Clearly there is plenty of steampunkery happening there as well! This element involves frontier technology, guns and trains and sometimes even mechanical horse transports. Example: A young woman has a wide collection of retro-guns located in her heavily defended ranch. Don't mess with a girl in cowboy hats and boots, I say.
An Embracing of Diversity
Steampunk is more than an era, more than Victorian London, and far more than the technology of Babbage taken to a higher plane. Steampunk is a celebration of what you can accomplish when your heart and your imagination is behind it. It is adventure. It is wonder.
- Tee Morris
The list above is not all-inclusive, nor are they absolutely necessary for steampunk. In fact, they're just some elements found in the richly diverse subgenre. As I said before, steampunk fiction is not solely boilerpunk, nor can it be solely clockpunk. Each one is different, but in my view, it's fun to look at the settings to see what types of elements are covered in the story. What's even more fun is the fact that any number of elements can be steampunkified, and that in itself is a writer's best friend.
Now onto the Assignment!