Conclusion

What does steampunk do for its readers as a genre in its own right that genres such fantasy, action-adventure, science fiction…or subgenres like fairy tales, westerns and space operas cannot do on their own? What does steampunk teach us about ourselves, about humanity, about the society we live in? Sure you can make the technology and the re-imagination of history argument, but doesn’t science fiction do that already, just like Doctor Who proves? How are these lessons unique of other genres? Why is steampunk important, aside from looking really cool and being fun to dress up in?

With these questions in mind, it is clear to me that steampunk would be much more successful (and provide fewer headaches) if it acknowledged itself as an accessory to other genres and subgenres instead of trying so fruitlessly to be a genre or subgenre in its own right. The aesthetics of steampunk, including things like cogs and brass and steam-powered machines, make fascinating fixtures of science fiction, fantasy and other popular genres. Writers and producers can feel free to incorporate these elements into their works to whatever capacity they choose without fear of not religiously following all of those long-winded criterions of what makes a work “steampunk.”

The best analogy I can come up with for how steampunk should be represented in the popular culture community is as follows:

Steampunk is like an everyday purse. You can wear it with a bunch of different outfits and it tends to match because you strategically bought it in black. But at the same time, it still manages to make a statement because of that big beautiful MK label that tells everyone that you are wearing a luxurious and expensive Michael Kors bag. At the same time though, this bag does not define who you are: that is what your personality is for. This bag is just a bag.

It’s a cute bag, and people sometimes take notice and appreciate it, but it isn’t “you,” just like steampunk isn’t a genre or subgenre. It matches with a lot of different genres or subgenres, but it doesn’t define them.

It’s just a pretty purse.

The Steampunk Doctor

Steampunk is not even close to the primary focus of Doctor Who, but it has been reflected in many episodes in a lot of creative and interesting ways. I have selected three of the episodes that I believe contain the greatest and most diverse representations of steampunk: “The Girl in the Fireplace,” “The Next Doctor” and “A Christmas Carol.”

“THE GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE”

What’s it about?

In this episode, the Doctor and his companions Rose Tyler and Mickey Smith find time windows on a 51st-century spaceship leading to 18th-century France and a group of clockwork androids using them to stalk Madame de Pompadour throughout her life

Where’s the steampunk?

Clockwork androids

Real-life historical figure Madame de Pompadour

What else does it have?

While having its usual dose of time-travelling-awesomeness, this episode also features a tragic love story between the Doctor and Madame de Pompadour whereby a mishap with the fireplace time window causes seven years to pass in de Pompadour’s life and in that time she dies. When the Doctor returns seven years later he is given a letter from King Louis XV that confesses her love

The episode also features selfless heroism indicative of the action-adventure genre when the Doctor rescues Rose and Mickey from the clockwork droids.

The Doctor (David Tennant) and a clockwork android

“THE NEXT DOCTOR”

What’s it about?

In this episode, the Doctor and his companion Rosita end up in London on Christmas Eve in 1851. Without getting into too much detail, a string of murders causes the Doctor to discover that his rivals, the Cybermen, have returned. And of course, he has to find a way to stop them.

 

Where’s the steampunk?

The Cyberking is a steam-powered engine controlled by the energy of working children

The TARDIS turns into a gas balloon

The episode takes place in Victorian England

What else does it have?

Once again, this is another action-packed episode where the Doctor must save the world from the infamous Cybermen

There is also a strong element of mystery in this episode as it starts off with the Doctor discovering a man who claims to be the Doctor (which is possible with time travel and the promise of future regenerations)

Miss Mercy Hartigan and a Cyberman

“A CHRISTMAS CAROL”

What’s it about?

In this highly popular Christmas special, newly-wedded companions Amy and Rory are trapped on a crashing spaceship which has been caught in a strange cloud belt. They call the Doctor, who lands on the planet below and meets Kazran Sardick (an allusion to Ebenezer Scrooge), a man who can control the cloud layer but refuses to help. Inspired by Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, the episode has the Doctor attempting to use time travel to alter Kazran's past and make him kinder so he will save the spaceship.

Where’s the steampunk?

The episode takes place in Victorian England

Kazran uses a machine made of wood and brass to control the skies

With this machine, there is the element of the infusion of new technology into the past that steampunk seems to be fond of

What else does it have?

There is a romance between Kazran and Abigail (a woman whom his father has cryogenically frozen as “security” for loans) in which the doctor uses time travel to assure that Kazran visits her and releases her every Christmas to be with him

The Doctor (Matt Smith) with the young Kazran

With these epic episodes in mind, I want to know: what does steampunk do that the genres of science fiction, fantasy, action-adventure—and even romance and mystery as represented in these episodes— do not do already?
  

Also consider a few fantasy subgenres of Doctor Who, like “alternate world” (which involves different worlds hidden or parallel to our own) and “historical fantasy” (which involves blending fantastical elements into periods of history). What can steampunk, as a subgenre on its own, do that these subgenres are not already successful in portraying?

Under the science fiction genre, you even have a subgenre category called “time travel” (which is exactly what it sounds like!).

So why do we need steampunk as a genre or subgenre? Based on the above episode descriptions and the accompanied pictures, it seems to fit in perfectly well as merely an aesthetic that works in partnership with other genres and subgenres. Doctor Who is the perfect example of a work that is blissfully creative and does not lean on a single genre or subgenre. If Doctor Who was to become primarily a steampunk show and religiously follow all of its criteria, or even if it was to become primarily a science-fiction show…it would not offer its viewers the level of fascination and pure astonishment that each mind-blowingly unique episode provides.

Though on-and-off, there is a reason why this show is still being reimagined and reinvented 52 years after its first season in 1963…

It doesn’t let any genre or subgenre bully it into submission.   

Source of fantasy subgenre information: http://www.cuebon.com/ewriters/Fsubgenres.html 

Steampunk as Restrictive: Some requirements for the coveted "steampunk" classification

In an attempt to demonstrate the restrictiveness of the steampunk genre, I have compiled a list of the criterions necessary for a work to be classified as “steampunk.” Additionally, I have drawn attention to the definitions that support my idea that steampunk works best as an accessory to other genres by bolding the termss that best represent the steampunk aesthetic. Can you honestly tell me that a list as long-winded and specific as this could give a writer or producer creative and artistic freedom? I would beg to differ:

   

A story set within a world using a real or imagined version of the technology of the 19th century (Lake 59)

Implicit or explicit social critique (Lake 59)

Technology and devices driven by steam power or counterweighted clockwork (Lake 59)

An adventure-oriented plotline (Lake 59)

It returns us to old-fashioned values, often decried but nevertheless romantic (Writers Anon)

Victorian-era class and economic structures (Lake 59)

Include the supernatural as well (steampunk.com)

Steampunk has no plastic or fossil-based products.  The materials within this alternative, retro world are all natural and lavishly decorated. Polished wood, brass filigree, leather and stained glass should be there in abundance (Writers Anon)

An emphasis on the empowerment of individuals in the face of industrial standardization and the advance of modern bureaucratic government (Lake 59)

CITATIONS:

JRRL. “What is Steampunk?.” Steampunk.com. 13 Oct. 2010. Web. 09 Apr. 2015. <http://www.steampunk.com/what-is-steampunk/>

Lake, Jay. “Exploring the world of steampunk.” Writer’s Digest 94.3 (2014): 59-61.

Lillycrop, Martine. “5 Elements of Steampunk.” Writers Anon – Taunton’s Writing Group. Word Press, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 09 April 2015. <https://writersanontaunton.wordpress.com/2014/01/27/5-elements-of-steampunk/>

The Genres and Subgenres of Doctor Who

Below I have broken down the three main genres represented in Doctor Who to demonstrate the lack of specificity that allows dabblers in each genre the space necessary to create new and exciting worlds, characters and plotlines:

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that focuses on magic, myth and other supernatural elements as the overarching theme, plot element, or setting. Examples of subgenres: fairy tales, fables, legends.

Action-adventure focuses on a protagonist attempting to overcome exciting obstacles in order to achieve a goal. Examples of subgenres: epics, spy fiction, westerns.

Science fiction is a genre of fiction that is similar to fantasy in that it deals with imaginative and oftentimes impossible scenarios, however it differs in that it uses scientific elements to explain these scenarios. Examples of subgenres: apocalyptic sci-fi and space opera.

All of these sound pretty simple and uncomplicated, right? Lots of room for creative intervention, not terribly rigid guidelines. Even the subgenres are not overly rigid, like when you think of a fairy tale, you think of a classic story written for children that has a moral lesson.

But this is not so for steampunk… 

Fantasy, action-adventure and science fiction merge in this epic television show!

Genres vs. Subgenres

In order to make the distinction between genres and subgenres clearer, below I have provided definitions of each from the Internet in an attempt to demonstrate why steampunk does not fit into either classification. From my research, I discovered that most people tend to dismiss steampunk as a genre and gravitate predominantly towards classifying it as a subgenre. However, I find issue with the subgenre classification, and I will explain why:

WHAT IS A GENRE?

“Genre…is any category of literature or other forms of art or entertainment, e.g. music, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time as new genres are invented and the use of old ones are discontinued. Often, works fit into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining these conventions”

Although steampunk is fairly new compared to other “genres” and “subgenres,” steampunk conventions (as I will detail in a near-future blog) are far too rigid to show any signs of changing any time soon. Avid members of the steampunk community especially, as we discussed in class, are extremely protective of its conventions and often target other steampunkers who they believe are not representing steampunk appropriately. If a genre is intended to be fluid, then steampunk cannot possibly be a genre because by criticizing others for reimagining steampunk in their own unique ways, the fluidity necessary for the “genre” classification is not achievable.

Citation: “Genre.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 10 Apr. 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genre> 

WHAT IS A SUBGENRE?

“A sub-genre is a sub-category of a specific genre, and can apply to literature, music, film, theater, video games, or other forms of art. Genres were created to classify artistic works into descriptive categories, and a sub-genre breaks down those categories into more defined subjects”

As I will demonstrate when I provide my list of conventions necessary for a work to be considered “steampunk” in a near-future blog, while it is true that steampunk breaks down the descriptive categories of genres such as science fiction and fantasy into more “defined” subjects, these definitions go beyond further classification into a mess of highly specific criterion that leaves little wiggle room for creative intervention. In my next blog I will provide more examples of subgenres, but for the purpose of this explanation I will use an example of a subgenre in fantasy. “Mythic” is one such example of a subgenre that falls under fantasy. This subgenre is classified as taking place on our familiar Earth and incorporating existing myths. Specific? Yes. Unmanageably specific to the point of insanity like steampunk is? No.

Citation: Black, Jessica. “What is a sub-genre?.” wiseGEEK. Conjecture Corporation, 31 Mar. 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2015. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-sub-genre.htm.>

My Personal Definition of Steampunk

For me, steampunk is a confusing, highly-contested, ill-defined wannabe subgenre that sometimes tries really hard to have something profound to say about technology, history and rebellion yet oftentimes abandons any such messages altogether. It seems to me that steampunk is regarded mostly for how it looks as opposed to what it says, which I find profoundly problematic for a genre or subgenre that wants to be taken seriously. 

Type in “science fiction” in Google images and you’ll get a myriad of other-worldly places and beings. Type in “steampunk” in Google images and you’ll get a bunch of schmucks in costumes. 

Based on my exposure to steampunk texts like The Difference Engine and Boneshaker, as well as a myriad of other supposedly “steampunk” pop culture examples from television, film and comics, it appears that any authentically “steampunk” work has far too many criterions to be a genre or even a subgenre. In the following blog, I explain how genres and subgenres are classified and compare some classifications of popular genres to classifications for steampunk. With these comparisons in mind and with Doctor Who as my example, it will become increasingly clear as to why steampunk is best suited to be thought of as an “accessory” or “aesthetic” in a world of other popular genres and subgenres that don’t put writers and producers in a chokehold that forces them to conform to every one of its dizzyingly specific conventions.  

It’s time to kick the steampunk bully off of the pop culture playground until it can learn to play nice with the other genres and subgenres. 

Definitions of Steampunk (taken from the Internet and academic sources)

Below I have selected a few definitions of steampunk. Although many of them attempt to include meaningful commentary about what the genre hopes to achieve with regards to social commentary and a “reimagining of the past,” the importance of aesthetics is mentioned in all of them to truly highlight its importance to the genre. I have bolded the portions of the text that deal specifically with aesthetics:

“Steampunk refers to a subgenre of science fiction and sometimes fantasy—also in recent years a fashion and lifestyle movement—that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery”

There is no question that in Wikipedia’s definition, aesthetics is the focal point as it takes up the bulk of the explanation.

Citation: “Steampunk.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 11 Apr. 2015) Web. 09 Apr. 2015. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk>

Jess Nevins says that in the battle between the prescriptivists and the descriptivists, “The descriptivists are winning. ‘Steampunk’ appears as a designation for everything from the Western-flavored space opera Firefly (2005) to pseudo-Edwardian colonialist high adventure anime, from the industrial dance music of the band Abney Park to the current alternative fashion of mock-Victorian clothing” (513)

In this quotation, Jess Nevins is providing a myriad of popular culture references where steampunk is prominent. He does not actually explain why the examples he uses are “steampunk,” but he does take care to mention fashion, which is of course purely aesthetic.

Citation: Nevins, Jess. “Prescriptivists vs. Descriptivists: Defining Steampunk.” Science Fiction Studies 38.3 (2011): 513-518.

“The steampunk genre first emerged in the late 1980s as an increasingly popular offshoot of the science fiction and fantasy genres, gear-encrusted guns, corsets, airships, tiny hats and matching parasols have come to grace the covers of modern adventures and romances alike…Steampunk straddles some of the dividing lines between fantasy and science fiction as it looks to the re-imagined past with nostalgia” (59)

Lake in this example includes a number of stereotypical steampunk elements that can be found within the genre that alludes to a particular “look.” The examples he offers focus almost primarily on clothing and accessories with the exception of the mention of airships.

Citation: Lake, Jay. “Exploring the world of steampunk.” Writer’s Digest 94.3 (2014): 59-61.

“In its glibbest sense, it can be seen as a way of giving your personal technology a goth make-over. Imagine a top of the range computer pimped out to look like an old typewriter, or an iPhone dock that lets you answer your phone using an old brass and wood receiver. But at its deepest, it's a whole way of looking and living: and a colourful protest against the inexorable advance of technology itself”

Although Higham alludes to the idea of aesthetics in the genre as being shallow, this does not mean that the aesthetics are not a predominant feature. There is a reason, of course, for why it is mentioned first in his spiel!

Citation: Higham, William. “What the Hell is Steampunk?.” The Huffington Post. The Blog, 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.