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Wicked Boys & Naughty Girls (contemporary bisexual menage)   Man Power (gay fantasy)   The Argadian Heart (scifi hetero)	An Interpretation of The Subgenre of Steampunk The information contained in this document was primarily compiled from three steampunk panels at Orycon 31, including: "Steampunk: Victorian Marvels of Science" "Intro to Steampunk" "Punk/Cyberpunk/Goth" Panelists included: Irene Radford, Paul Guinan, Diana Vick, Andrea Letourneau, Mary Lou Sullivan, Catherine Brandt, James Phillips, Jan Borkowski NOTE: Although a great deal of information from the panels was provided on costuming and creating gadgetry (which I found most creative and interesting), the information in this document is focused primarily toward the writing of steampunk. Although the foundation for this information is initially based on the panel discussions, I've taken my research a bit further than the panel discussion of genre to provide slightly more fleshed out information.   Defining steampunk: The "punk" in "steampunk." The word "punk" refers to a counterculture. It is a work of change, of being outside the norm. The word "punk" is not used strictly in relation to music but refers more to an element of change. Primarily steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction, science fiction, or fantasy. A bit of background on steampunk and it's development can be found at: http://en.allexperts.com/e/s/st/steampunk.htm. It is not Victorian recreation; it is Victorian science fiction. There is some element of license in historical accuracy and in costume depiction. The steampunk genre incorporates steam power and/or clockworks, and magic. The Victorian/Edwardian aesthetic is important to true steampunk. It is more than goggles; it also contains elements of manners and politeness. Looking at steampunk in a broader sense than that of a basic (perhaps purist) definition of steampunk, we find several sub-subgenres as well. Science fiction steampunk, horror steampunk, fantasy steampunk. These subgenres may also include the following elements: Historical steampunk (involving alternate views of historical events). Usually takes place during the Victorian and/or Edwardian periods. Western steampunk, possibly also known as American Steampunk Parnanormal steampunk (including creatures such as werewolves and vampires)
<Google Ad>	The Archetypes of Steampunk Several archtypes have been presented for this genre which may play into writing steampunk fiction. Although these archetypes tend to pertain to costuming, I think they would also be pertinent to character/personality types in writing steampunk. See also, http://www.squidoo.com/dressingsteampunk. This Squidoo article was created by one of the panelists, Diana Vick. Diana also is one of the coordinators for steam-con, the steampunk convention which is held in Seattle, Washington.  Adventurer  Aristocrat  Aviator  Dandy  Explorer  Femme Fatale  Hunter/Fighter  Lolita  Military  Mechanic/Scientist A few theories on why steampunk is popular right now? Possible reasons for the upsurgence of steampunk right now were offered during the panel discussions. We have become a disposable society. Perhaps too disposable. The steampunk subculture reuses articles to create odd and interesting elements and functonality. Renewable. So renew-recyle-reconstruct is at the core of steampunk, particularly in costuming. This ties into environmental conservation in many ways. Think of using simple ordinary items to create something new. Think of how the MacGyver character reused ordinary items to create something entirely different. The nature of liability and the penchant to sue have taken away much of the more adventurous spirit of the 19th century. The Victorian age was a time of adventure and discovery. Steampunk allows for escapism. Steampunk allows a glimpse away from slick, soulless machines and automation &#9;and brings the focus back to the beauty and intricacy of the workings inside a machine, as well as functionality of earlier, and in many instances, steam-powered machinery. Steampunk is optimistic fiction, as opposed to cautionary science fiction. It centers on a time when the boundaries of the continents had been discovered and now it was time to adventure past those borders into the interior, both past &#9;and present. And curiosity of space exploration, what lies beyond earth, factors into this as well. The Victorian age brings to mind images of women tromping along right with men. Think of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and other adventurous fantasy fiction of the times.
<Google Ad>	Books and Readers The Victorian period was a time when people held a curiosity about the world and about science. Oftentimes this led to lengthier, more descriptive tomes. Vintage Victorian fiction was longer and more descriptive for several reasons. During that time period it was primarily the only method of escapist entertainment. (There were no TVs, no radio, no computers.) During the Victorian age authors were often paid by the word and much of Victorian literature started out as serialized fiction. It was the start of an industrial revolution; it was an information age when people wanted to know how things worked. They wanted to read about the more intricate workings and descriptions of life and machinery beyond their own world. And how could machinery be incorporated into and ease their own lives? In today's literature that lengthy depth of description does not take on the same urgency. Our current technologies no longer isolate people. Today a great deal of information is readily available for people to discover. Description is still important, but not in the minutest detail of earlier periods.   The Colors of Steampunk When people think of steampunk, they often think in terms of browns, tans, or beiges and some black. This is often true because the photographs of the times were in sepia tones. But actually there was a great deal of color associated with the Victorian age. So one should not feel that in order to be true to the period there is a limit of subdued colors in depicting costume and clothing. The discovery of aniline dyes by William Perkins gave significant range of color to the era. (For an article on Victorian clothing see, http://www.fashion-era.com/early_victorian_fashion.htm.)   The Bottom Line The bottom line is creativity. Steampunk, both in costume and writing is only limited by the boundaries or borders of your own imagination and creativity. Using the flavor of the time period, the elegance of gadgetry, and the mysticism of magic and create a world and a story that challenges and entertains.

A Few Definitions airship: more information specifically airship can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airship. clockwork or clock-work: mechanism of toothed geared wheels (or gearwheels) propelled by a wound spring. Reference is because of a similarity to a mechanical clock. Also likely to power a mechanical toy or other similar device. Such a device might be referenced in a sentence as being "run by clockwork." Alludes to a regularity of movement such as in a clock as in "regular as clockwork." dirigible: capable of being steered. An interesting article about dirigibles is http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-dirigibles.htm. A dirigible is also called an airship.

Links of Interest Steampunk Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/steampunk/ YouTube video on steampunk art: http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/steampunk/video-steampunk-at-the-museum/ Fashion community on livejournal: http://community.livejournal.com/steamfashion/ Steampunk fashion on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/steampunkfashion/ and http://www.flickr.com/groups/steampunk_excellence/

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