What does "steampunk" mean?

[ToddKent]

There is an odd phenomena that exists for me. Occasionally words that never existed before will not only come into existence suddenly but will proliferate to the extent that everyone on the planet is aware of the new term...except me.

For example, one day, not too long ago, the term "emo" did not exist. Then I went to bed, woke up the next day and every magazine, newspaper and website was using this term as if I was supposed to know what it meant. I swear to you this happened overnight.

Recently it's happened again. I woke up awhile back and everyone was using the term steampunk and once again I'm in the dark. From my limited investigations it seems to have something to do with corsets and goggles.

I'm officially declaring my ignorance. Can anyone fill me in?

 

[Gepard]

From Wikipedia:

Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or digital mechanical computers (such as Charles Babbage's Analytical engine); these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality.

The films Wild, Wild West and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen are both steampunk-styled films. Steampunk has a bit of a fandom built around folks who build or modify modern-day objects to look as if they were built with brass Victorian-era technology.

Some visual examples:

And from my own collection, a steampunk ray gun I built a year or two ago:

 

[firehawk12]

It's the use of a Victorian/Edwardian aesthetic in a science fiction context drawn from, but an anti-thesis to, cyberpunk.

I can't seem to think of any non-game or comic book examples at the moment though.

 

[Captaindemotion]

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

There you go.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

I've seen some insanely cool computers where they restyled the screen and keyboard as steampunk styled, with typewriter buttons, and the whole shebang. Very cool stuff.

 

[Luckyflux]

Somewhere in one of the pictures thread is a picture of the Steampunk Enterprise-D. I wish I had the link, but alas I do not.

 

[Steve Roby]

I don't know why it's catching on now, but it's been around as a form of science fiction for twenty or thirty years now. Wasn't so much a lifestyle thing before, though.

Tor.com just finished a month of steampunk web stuff; you can see a list of articles here.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Here's a website that features Star Wars action figures with a steampunk motif...

Steam Wars- A New Hope

 

[Anwar]

I've been considering doing a Medieval Steampunk type story as a legitimate novel (or short story) for some time now. Need to do more research on Medieval Industry to see how it would be affected before I do writing.

Basically, I had a vision of an armored knight riding on a primitive steam-powered motorcycle with a arrowing shooting gatling rifle.

 

[Hyperspace05]

I've been considering doing a Medieval Steampunk type story as a legitimate novel (or short story) for some time now. Need to do more research on Medieval Industry to see how it would be affected before I do writing.

Basically, I had a vision of an armored knight riding on a primitive steam-powered motorcycle with a arrowing shooting gatling rifle.

Several authors have used the Voynich Manuscripts as basis for stories in a medieval settings that deal with aliens or time travel. The origin of these manuscripts are in question, but they have never been decrypted. But it might be an interesting starting point or to give you ideas.

Those manuscripts are an interesting real life "steam punk" link, however.

 

[Anwar]

Ah, well my idea came when I thought "Well, what if there was a Steampunk Revolution (like a Proto-Industrial Revolution) in the Middle Ages? How would it work out with the Feudal System still in power and such?"

But, thank you.

 

[sojourner]

Steampunk is already on the way out in geek circles. Once it hit mainstream it was doomed.

 

[Steve Roby]

Ah, well my idea came when I thought "Well, what if there was a Steampunk Revolution (like a Proto-Industrial Revolution) in the Middle Ages? How would it work out with the Feudal System still in power and such?"

Sounds a little bit like Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

 

[Australis]

Love me some steampunk, I really do.

The only novel I have at the moment is 'The Difference Engine' by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling - what if they had found a way to build Babbage's Analytical Engine, and then turn it into a mass computing movement, much like the PC? It's a good starting point.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Here's a great steampunk Star Trek site to enjoy.

 

[Tulin]

Steampunk is very, very cool.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

First encountered it in an Amiga game called Chaos Engine.

Might try Katsuhiro Otomo's Steamboy for a movie that isn't actually shit...

Cause wicky wacky Wild Wild West, and LXG might give your eyes a hernia.

 

[Anwar]

Those two were trash with or without the Steampunk tech...

 

[Christopher]

I don't know why it's catching on now, but it's been around as a form of science fiction for twenty or thirty years now.

Longer than that. The original Wild, Wild West TV series in the '60s was in the same vein as what we now call steampunk, postulating fancifully advanced technology in the Victorian era.

 

[zakkrusz]

It's the use of a Victorian/Edwardian aesthetic in a science fiction context drawn from, but an anti-thesis to, cyberpunk.

I can't seem to think of any non-game or comic book examples at the moment though.

The coolest example I can think of is probabally Last Exile. Steampunk is an interesting sub-genre.