How Much Do You Care About Novelty?

[Dannyalcatraz]

Yeah in the early 1990s even most SF nerds didn't have a particularly clear idea of what "steampunk" might entail, if they were even familiar with the term (it didn't even begin to get popularized until The Difference Engine in 1990, though it does technically predate that I believe).

And as a result, most people's vision of steampunk in that era (and really until the very late 1990s, I'd say) was just extremely romanticized "Victoriana", with, a most, maybe a small helping HG Wells or similar thrown in (despite Space 1889, the original Wild Wild West etc.).

I feel like the 1999 Will Smith Wild Wild West was probably the end of steampunk being at all mysterious to people though.

I can definitely see the concept of steampunk Iron Man hitting players pretty damn hard in, say, 1992 or 1993.

Steampunk as a genre goes back a ways- some claim Verne & Wells as its progenitors and Wild, Wild West as a mainstream manifestation- but it really didn’t hit its stride until the late 80s. And even then, it would be a while longer before it got into the consciousness of fans of mainstream sci-fi, horror & fantasy.

As an amusing footnote, a couple years after I’d moved away from Austin, I stumbled upon a piece of sci-fi from a German author that was illustrated with an armored man with a flamethrower. Unfortunately, my German wasn’t good enough to find out if he had any other similarities to my villain (or Iron Man).

 

[Umbran]

Steampunk as a genre goes back a ways- some claim Verne & Wells as its progenitors and Wild, Wild West as a mainstream manifestation- but it really didn’t hit its stride until the late 80s. And even then, it would be a while longer before it got into the consciousness of fans of mainstream sci-fi, horror & fantasy.

The word "steampunk" is first attested to 1987:

Dear Locus,

Enclosed is a copy of my 1979 novel Morlock Night; I'd appreciate your being so good as to route it to Faren Miller, as it's a prime piece of evidence in the great debate as to who in "the Powers/Blaylock/Jeter fantasy triumvirate" was writing in the "gonzo-historical manner" first. Though of course, I did find her review in the March Locus to be quite flattering.

Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like "steam-punks," perhaps....

— K.W. Jeter

I am skeptical many would have been thinking about it as a unified genre before that point.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The word "steampunk" is first attested to 1987:

Personally, I see “steampunk” much like you do, a 1980s-spawned genre inspired by writers like Verne & Wells, akin to how “neoclassical” art, music and architecture aren’t quite the same as classical. But labels on social trends can be pretty muddy.

According to people who study such things, “Heavy Metal” as a distinct genre arose in 1968 with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, with Sabbath considered the real fathers. Zep & Purple would get called “proto-metal”. But its use in music journalism predates any of those bands by years, and was first used lyrically by Steppenwolf.

And the thing is, most modern metalheads don’t consider Zep, Purple or Sabbath to be real metal bands these days. And within those bands, even the members don’t agree about whether they were or not. Ozzy routinely refers to his band as “heavy blues” instead of metal.

I am skeptical many would have been thinking about it as a unified genre before that point.

I’m not saying it was a popular opinion, but people have espoused it, right or wrong.

 

[Umbran]

I’m not saying it was a popular opinion, but people have espoused it, right or wrong.

I think you misunderstand me.

Now, people can look back and say that they can collect a number of works and say, "These were the early elements in the genre," and have a pretty solid argument that they are correct. But, this is done in hindsight.

There is some moment when someone first says, "Hey, you know what? There's a trend here, a body of works with similar themes!" Before that, nobody had the thought that the things should be looked at collectively - the genre hadn't yet been identified.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Ah- yeah, I agree with that.

I still think it’s a stretch to consider Verne & Wells to be truly steampunk. Even granting numerous similar elements, what they wrote was speculative of possible futures; modern steampunk creators are imagining a past that never was. Those are very different mindsets.

 

[Thomas Shey]

And the thing is, most modern metalheads don’t consider Zep, Purple or Sabbath to be real metal bands these days. And within those bands, even the members don’t agree about whether they were or not. Ozzy routinely refers to his band as “heavy blues” instead of metal.

If you're a fan of symphonic metal and adjacent subgenres, its easy to find out just how quick a lot of metalheads are to man the bulwarks to repel borders.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Ah- yeah, I agree with that.

I still think it’s a stretch to consider Verne & Wells to be truly steampunk. Even granting numerous similar elements, what they wrote was speculative of possible futures; modern steampunk creators are imagining a past that never was. Those are very different mindsets.

When you love certain aesthetics, the attempt to keep the zeerust off things can be a very strong urge.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Ah- yeah, I agree with that.

I still think it’s a stretch to consider Verne & Wells to be truly steampunk. Even granting numerous similar elements, what they wrote was speculative of possible futures; modern steampunk creators are imagining a past that never was. Those are very different mindsets.

I agree. I would say that the 1954 Disney 20,000 Leagues and the 1960 Time Machine movies had a big influence on the steampunk aesthetic though.

 

[Umbran]

Ah- yeah, I agree with that.

I still think it’s a stretch to consider Verne & Wells to be truly steampunk. Even granting numerous similar elements, what they wrote was speculative of possible futures; modern steampunk creators are imagining a past that never was. Those are very different mindsets.

With respect. Wells was commenting on his present, using allegory set in the future.

For steampunk, it's nigh-dystopian aspects are similarly commentary on the present in which they are written, not predictions of the future.

 

[Reynard]

I am not well versed in the genre because I am not a huge fan of the aesthetic, but I thought The Difference Engine was consider an important early Steampunk work.