Talk:Steampunk/Archive 1

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Contents

Nabokov

How about Nabokov's "Ada, or Ardor?" Although it is a real book and it doesn't take place on Earth but takes place on an identical world (called Earth) with Victorian (late Romanov) politics and different forms of modern technologies. --206.28.73.1 16:10, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, it really should be added. The L-disaster, flying carpets, dorophones...
Aibara 07:42, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes. I tapped "discussion" to write the very words above, and have no need to write them, being as they are in the ablative absolute. Anyone interested in Steampunk really should read this 1969 novel. -Frank Zamjatin

POV issue

"This perfectly sums up what historical steampunk is trying to encapsulate, and also shows us that the idea of such concepts emerging earlier in our history is a truly terrifying one."

This has GOT to violate NPOV. --69.24.180.217 09:34, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

Wallace and Gromit

Wallace & Gromit animations classify as steampunk (homemade 1950's spaceship, robots, mind-transfer machine etc.)

Sky Captain

I don't believe that Sky Captain is Steampunk, it is not Victorian (Steampunk must deal with the Victorian era, it has to feature technology which would be able to run on steam!) Sky Capatin, however, is a sort of "Decopunk" concerning an alternate jazz era (1920s/30s).

decopunk?! no. god no. its PULP OKAY. PULP HERO. if you use that "decopunk" or "dieselpunk" rubbish on Sky Captain, then place it for the Shadow, The Spider, G-8, The Avenger and other heroes from the 1920s to the late 1940s.

Sky Captain is Retro-futurism. There does seem to be a fad for X-punk terms but there is perfectl well understood term for the genre the film is in. Dieselpunk is either redundant or refers to something different [1] (Emperor 16:37, 19 January 2007 (UTC))

Moorcocks Oswald Bastable series

Moorcocks Oswald Bastable series seems an almost type example of the genre although they were writen before the genre existed and moorcock has similar series that range from the 16th centuary to the present. Perhaps Oswald Bastable could be featured more prominantly?

Definition of Steampunk

Real general question here, but who defined Steampunk to mean "set in alternative victorian era" ??? I consider steampunk to include the genre of post-apocalyptic & collapsed-societies where humanity has recreated a society using only the scraps. And Sky Captain and Brazil should qualify for sure.

Are there references or citations for anything supporting its restriction to victorian times?

no. Sky Captain and Brazil are fine examples of retro sci-fi in general, but are not steampunk. too many people are trying to define steampunk so widely as to make the label useless. i mean, a definition wide enough to include Sky Captain in steampunk would also have to include Wings of Honneamise, the George Pal War of the Worlds (and, by extension, the tv series), Heinlein's "Methuselah's Children", The Diamond Age, and so on. might as well just call it "sf" and be done with it.
that said, i agree that a more rigorous and useful definition needs to come around than "set in an alternate Victorian era". however, i am among those who feel that the late 19th century aesthetic is important (though i am somewhat liberal in this, as i don't see it as absolutely essential) to steampunk as differentiated from other retro sci-fi. however, i think that a definition which specifies that steam-power (as opposed to internal combustion or electrical power, for example) is essential as the primary source of mechanical power might be so obvious as to be nearly unnecessary to say. this immediately disqualifies Sky Captain and Brazil.
finally, could you please sign your comments? Whateley23 23:07, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
I think "Steampunk" should be a subset of "retro sci fi." --Chibiabos 06:30, 29 March 2006 (UTC)
Okay, I don't know if anyone's going to listen to this, seeing as everyone's made up their minds what steampunk is, and I'm relatively new to steampunk -the term that is. However I've been working on and thinking about steampunk-esque art for ages now, without really being able to give a name to it, but what I got an idea of was anything historic, scifi or fantastical that juxtaposes concepts from futurism/speculative fiction and from some era of history. If you don't like this here's my take: yetserday I googled 'steampunk', having been fascinated by this page, and it returned writer's rings and fansites that covered -well just the above. I got some things based on The Time Machine, Disney's new "Atlantis" film, and even fictiional interpretations of Da Vinci. I call that the masses have spoken -the name's just a name. And the only point I can see of there being a name is if it describes something which departs from science fiction by adding a historic element -I've seen that done a lot. What I've NOT seen in such profusion as to merit it's own genre is cyberpunk with a victorian, steam-driven element. Maybe this disagrees with the strict definition, but it's the only version that I think would make sesne. -Zepheriah 15:44, 8 October 2006 (UTC)
But the examples you give--"The Time Machine", "Atlantis", Da Vinci inventions--are all based on pre-electrical technologies involving steam, gears, mechanical contraptions etc. Not necessarily Victorian, but with the types of technologies used similar to Victorian times or earlier. So this would disqualify stuff like "Sky Captain" and "Brazil", which are rarely referred to as steampunk, although they are examples of retro-futurism (and many steampunk works can be seen as a subset of retro-futurism). Hypnosifl 07:06, 20 January 2007 (UTC)
Hi, just a thought, if steampunk is only alternate vicotrian, then is mortal engines not classified as steampunk? It says it is on the wiki page, and fit's every other description of it.

Suggestion

Watching Sky Captain right now, went to Wiki and read about Steampunk! Suggest that The Two Georges by Richard Dreyfuss and Harry Turtledove is also a work that may inform on Steampunk. I really read it, having bought it from a Dollar Store. It had enough descriptions of technology, alternate histories and cultures. Basically, there are dirigibles, steamer cars, and other quaint things. If the author(s) of this article wish, they may wish to add it to the bibliography.

Dracula movie and Greystoke

Why is Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 movie) and Greystoke in the list? I don't rememeber the slightest elements of fictional machines in either of the whole films. And why is Sky captain here again? Wasn't it deleted? (belongs to alternate 20th century)

"Read or Die"

What about the anime "Read or Die"? It takes place in modern or close-future times, but has a definite steampunk feel to it. The 3-episode OVA features cloned historical figures within their own element, including a massive steam-powered sea fortress and rocket and an evil symphony played by a respawned Beethoven. The aesthetic of the OVA -- especially the Royal Library (sort of secret spy organization) is decidedly Victorian. The series that takes place after largely abandons this, until the last few episodes, when the characters find themselves transported into a Victorian london patroled by Wells' Martian Tripods, Doyle's terrasaurs, and other literary features. At the very least, this section delves decidedly into Steampunk territory.

Well according to the internet, R.O.D. isn't steampunk. If it was, it would be marked as such by places like anidb and animenfo (which classify Last Exile as steampunk). Also, this article isn't a list of everything that could be considered steampunk, it only mentions a few well-known titles that fall within the genre.65.43.215.131 14:22, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
While [R.O.D]. does have elements of steampunk to in it, R.O.D. is not steampunk. Mostly due to it being set in an alternate 20th/21st Century earth with widespread usage of electricity. Manzabar 19:37, 12 February 2007 (UTC)
Agreed with both replies. In particular the one about this not having to be comprehensive. This entry should discuss prominent examples and other steampunk outtings that help explain important points. We have List of steampunk works for more a comprehensive list and till then their steampunk credentials have to be proved on the entry for the film/game/book and not from their inclusion in the list (see the talk page for discussion on removed entries that don't meet the grade). So inclusion of the Stempunk category, Stempunk under the genre and possibly a disucssion on the steampunk themes would work (and they'd have to "stick" as anyone could obviously edit those in but other editors could obejct and remove them as, I suspect, would be the case here). (Emperor 20:04, 12 February 2007 (UTC))

god, can we leave anime out of this entire article?

Given that there are many anime TV series/movies that deal with or are set in steampunk universes, why would you want to leave it out? Manzabar 19:37, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

Linking

Forgive me if I'm wrong as this is my first WikiTalk, but why does Rivet link to Industrial Music? To be sure, Industrial is a part of the lifestyle, but "rivet" and "lifestyle" do not appear anywhere. The Industrial Music article seems more a discussion on, well, the music. Should a new article be created? RoninVII

The Mummy

What about the recent Mummy series? Definitely Gothic and Victorian, with a Fantasy-Horror theme. Pros: Victorian with mis-placed techology. Cons: electricity, 1930s style cars. Wendell 06:38, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I don't think so, I'd classify that as Pulp magazine more than steampunk. The only steampunk-style technology that I can think of in either movie was the airship in the second film. -GamblinMonkey 13:27, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Frankenstein

This page must include Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. It's the first steampunk novel that I am familiar with.

Reid 06:57, 25 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Unsure...

I'm not certain about some of those included:

Harry Harrison's transatlantic tunnel is an alternate history novel written and set in the 1970s, not Victorian times, in a world where the American Revolution failed and the British Empire is still going strong. It has a nice mix of technologies advanced or behind ours, with high powered lasers used for drilling, while babbage engines are used to do calculations for sub-orbital flights. But putting it in the steampunk category seems a bit awry..

Ronald Clark's novel is merely set in the mid 19th century; a physicist gets the idea of isotopic separation after seeing pebbles graded by size on a pebble beach, and makes an atomic bomb. He intends to use it to end the Crimean War, but it never gets used, and no difference is made to history. It was published in the late 60s, IIRC, so it has little to do with cyberpunk or its sideshoot of steampunk...

Including the 19th century authors seems inappropriate, too: science fiction written during the 19th century is not the same thing as science fiction written about the 19th century. The 19th century authors wrote their stuff with an entirely different intent and sensibility to the modern authors, and I don't think they can honestly be lumped together. The criterion of 'The characters are set in a Victorian or victorian-like society' is a bit all-inclusive - The Mote in God's Eye fulfils that requirement, for one.

Oh come on

This is getting ridiculous. This overabundance and needless tendency to label EVERY literary subgenre with the word "punk" is an insult to any writer or film director who's written or directed something similar to Vernes, Indiana Jones or Sky Captain. Sky Captain especially. "Dieselpunk?" Come on. Why not call it by it's REAL genre. Pulp fiction. The Shadow, the Phantom, Indy Jones, Lone Ranger... pulp fiction. What's next? Samuraipunk? Or there is anything remotely anachronistic during the Revolutionary War, are we going to call it "colonialpunk?"

As for "Steampunk FASHION"? Absurd. I'm a club promoter and DJ for 5 years and I've been to several goth clubs/shows and I've not seen anything like "steampunk" fashion. - GabrielNYC

Steampunk MUSIC?! Ridiculous. I removed Raspuntina because they're NOT steampunk music. If they don't call themselves that, then they're not. This labelling of almost anything "-punk" is simply silly. Look up Rasputina on their own entry on Wiki.

"However, despite their love for antiquities, and their sometimes dark, ethereal sound, they don't easily fit into the goth genre, or any other for that matter."

Steampunk music indeed...

What if some country music star dressed like Bat Masterson? Is the singer's music going to be called "countrypunk"? Hell, why don't we call the people who sing old time bluegrass and americana "countrypunk?"

"Brazil"

What about the motion picture Brazil? The technological infrastructure depicted seems to reflect a sort of pipefitter mentality.

I think not... it's an alternate 20th centuty, not Victorian era.

Removing...

I'm removing:

  • His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman -- fantasy/alternate-universe science fiction with a quasi-Victorian setting

Reason: Will's world is our own; Lyra's world is an alternate history. It's not terribly victorian; technology has run on different tracks ("anbaric" for "electric" for example) -- Tarquin

Remove "Jack Faust" - it is set in the late Middle Ages, early Renaissance. Remove "Perdido Street Station" - this is a completely fictional world with no parallels to the Victorian Age. - Burschik

Doctor Who

I'm not sure any of the Doctor Who episodes listed really qualify. "Pyramids of Mars," for instance, is about an alien race that inspire the ancient Egyptian pantheon; in 1911 an archaeologist in Egypt manages to make contact with the (imprisoned) last survivor of that race, Sutekh. Sutekh gives his new minion instructions on how to construct robot servants... so I guess that's early 1900s robot tech, sure, but that hardly seems to qualify as steampunk. Same sort of thing with "Talons of Weng-Chiang."

Meanwhile, I'm adding a comic/graphic novel entry to the list... -- Jay (Histrion) 22:28, 21 Jun 2004 (UTC)

The 2006 series of Doctor Who so far seems to be drawing increacingly on Steampunk ideas. Aside from the allusion in Tooth and Claw, the following episode The Girl in the Fireplace features clockwork robots, and the preview of Rise of the Cybermen shows a parallel modern day London with zeppelins flying overhead instead of jet aircraft.

Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel both had significant steampunk influences. I added The Age of Steel to the article, and I'll add The Girl in the Fireplace right now. DestradoZero 14:53, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

I think there was a season of Doctor Who where the TARDIS console room was done in wood pannelling and looked rather like a gentleman's club from the Victorian era. I couldn't find any references to it but I'm certain I remember seeing it a few times. If anyone has a valid source then maybe it deserves a mention too.

Season 14. The phrase "like something out of Jules Verne" has been used to describe it more than once, so I think you have a point. The same has been said about the cathedral-like console room in the TV Movie. I'm less sure about "CyberEarth" having steampunk influences, though; I thought it was more art deco and 1950s modernism. Zepplins do not a steampunk setting make 8-). Daibhid C 23:33, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

A Clockwork Orange

is there anything particularly victorian/neo-victorian about A Clockwork Orange? i don't remember the story that well, but it doesn't seem to fit the category to me. the society depicted was fairly conservative and dystopian, but there were no explicit links to victorian ethics or style. Esk 00:09, 2004 Jun 22 (UTC)

Non-Victorian Steampunk

- I disagree entirely with limiting Steampunk to victorian-era styles exclusively. Keep in mind, Jules Verne was French. Anything making excessive use of steam and clockwork technologies fits in the Steampunk genre. 2006 Jan 3

Interesting stuff, may contribute

I was just doing a search on Steampunk this morning and came across this entry. Good stuff. I did take the liberty of changing the reference to my site (formerly http://www.geocities.com/i_am_the_cheese/STEAMPUNK.html) to the presently public FAQ. I may contribute some more to the entry at a later date, if that's alright.

Firefly

How does Firefly come to be a steampunk show? Just because it's a scifi with a western spin, doesn't make it so. I though Steampunk meant technology available in a time when it wasn't...not just because a show has a slight old-west flavor it's automatically there. Until someone can provide a good reason for it, I'm taking it off.Gnrlotto

Not steampunk

Removed as not steampunk (Reason): Not all "period" pieces are steampunk. If it is set in the 1930s or later, it cannot be steampunk.

I disagree strongly with the idea that something can not be steampunk if it is set after the 1930s. This would be like saying that something can't be Victorian if it is set in any time after 1901! Most Victorian homes in these times were built after 1901, and much of steampunk is set after the Steam Age. Steampunk can be a setting/tone as much as it is a defined era/genre. Maybe we should define a "Steampunk Era" in addition to the actual steampunk definition. DestradoZero 14:58, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

Also, I find the notation of the existance of electricity as somehow being an argument against something being steampunk. Electricity and steampunk are by no means mutually exclusive. DestradoZero 20:54, 31 May 2006 (UTC)

they're not mutually exclusive, but electricity is a step away from the center of steampunk, and when combined with internal-combustion engines tends to move the feel of the story far away from what can reasonably be considered "steampunk". Whateley23 05:46, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

-Steampunk and Pulp tend to overlap a bit, and the difference between them is rather blurry. A simple disclaimer on those indicating that they fit both categories should suffice.

More not steampunk

Watch me take a chainsaw to the "Classic Steampunk" section...

I'll leave the H. G. Wells novels for now, but I have my doubts about them too... --Paul A 04:38, 5 Nov 2004 (UTC)

First of all, I hate the term "Classic Steampunk." The early sci-fi novels by the likes of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells are just that, science fiction. Sure, Steampunk is science fiction, but it is science fiction set in a past era, specifically the victorian era. Do were consider 1950s science fiction "rocketpunk?" Of course not, but if someone were to set a story in that era and write it as though it was a 1950s science fiction novel, then it would be considered "rocketpunk."

Again, I must reiterate that steampunk can also apply to settings with "original steampunk" influences. Whether or not something is steampunk can be open to debate, it is not such a cut-and-dried thing as some think...at least not in my opinion. Heh. DestradoZero 15:17, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

I'm with Zero on this. All of this has gotten out of hand. I grew up watching Flash Gordon serials sunday afternoons in the 80s. I called them science fiction, the TV listing called it science fiction. Writers call it super-science/pulp fiction. It's absurd to call it sci-fipunk or dieselpunk or, the newest one I overheard at a bookstore "pulppunk." This is idiotic!

whaddya know, not steampunk

Removed Hellsing from the list of graphic novels. It takes place in the present day or near future. Any apparent artifacts of Victorian culture are due to vampires, not true Victorianism.--ByrnedHead 21:09, 20 Nov 2004 (UTC)


Why are Hudson Hawk and Crimson Skies in the list? I'll go ahead and remove them. Whateley23 10:17, 12 July 2005 (UTC)

Casper?

I fail to see how Casper is steampunk at all, but I'll leave it to someone else to look into since it's been a long time and I might have missed some of its... steampunk qualities.

Also, Polish users, watch out for the RPG Wolsung... --Silencer 00:25, 22 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Bearing in mind that it's specifically the 1995 movie version in question, I assume the reference is to the secret laboratory in the basement, which does have a bit of steampunk aesthetic to it. I wouldn't have listed the movie as a whole, though. --Paul A 05:04, 22 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Being as the finale of the movie, and a major part of the plot occur in the basement though, it is safe to call it a steam-punk movie.Gnrlotto

I'd say it is definitely not a steampunk movie, basement notwithstanding. Neither, for that matter, is Hellboy. Removed. If someone is desperate to have them, obviously they could be replaced, but I would object. Whateley23 12:07, 14 July 2005 (UTC)

What, pray tell, in a film where the steam-punk basement is the most prominent place in the movie, and also contains the macguffin of the film, would make it not steam punk?

And secondly, if the clockwork men and tombs from Hellboy aren't enough for you, then I recommend removing the link to "Victorian Adventures in a Past That Wasn't" as they have reviewed it as a steam punk film, and if they're one of the outside links for people to learn more about what steam punk is and they have it so dreadfully wrong, then they are a liability. Not a help.

Gnrlotto


Neither contains anything remotely Victorian. Hellboy, specifically, is set in the modern day, clockworks aside. As for removing a link to another stemapunk site because they reviewed something which doesn't seem to fit the criteria, that doesn't seem to be an appropriate response at all. Whateley23 21:54, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

Clear Criteria for "Steampunk" needed

Preferrably list in bold (in a box?) at the top of this page.

There are items there, such as Full Metal Alchemist (alternate Hitler-won-WII 1940-1980 piece -- steam technology, magic, and Fuhrers - set in Asia/Siberia - at elast thats what I see it as) that just don't seem to qualify as steampunk. Introduction of divisions (such as "Classical" and whatnot) seems to have just given people the idea that everything should be tweaked to somehow be steampunk. --ZayZayEM 06:40, 22 Nov 2004 (UTC)

There don't seem to be any criteria at all for inclusion here. Bride of Frankenstein? A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court? Come on...! I'm starting to think that there's no SF that somebody wouldn't qualify as "steampunk". -Sean Curtin 05:10, Dec 19, 2004 (UTC)

The concept of Steampunk seems to be a retrospective look of the past (mostly 19th century) era with advanced technology. Conn. Yankee seems to be the template.
The problem seems to be that people are defining Steampunk (or at least discussing its spin-offs) very broadly in the text part, and then being very stringent when it comes to putting actual works on the various lists even when they seem to fit criteria for steampunk or a sub-category as discussed above. Really, what we need to do is decide whether the mechanics of steampunk (the type of technology, the alternate-history status, etc.) are more important to steampunk fandom than "steampunk feel" (which can be conveyed by technically non-steampunk work like His Dark Materials, Sky Captain, and so on), and if so make the text clearer on that decision. As for the works, perhaps we should make a list/page of "feels like steampunk" titles w/ brief text on how this stuff conveys the mood but not the mechanics, or some such? My personal opinion is that the issue needs to be broached somehow, since HDM, Sky Captain and many other similar but not technically steampunk works are what get people into the genre, and don't seem to quite fit into other branches of fantasy and sf. - Tinderblast 21:46, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)
I agree with the conservatives on this one: less is more. Someone seems to have been stretching to include every possible SF book/movie/game in existence in this category. This isn't a catalog, it's an encyclopedia. I'd strongly advocate to paring down the "lists" only to works which really exemplify steampunk ideology, technology, and themes. Jberkus 06:19, 14 October 2005 (UTC)

Merging of Sandal/Clock punk

I think these genres should probably have there own smaller articles, linked to in small summaries in this main article.

This keeps this article smaller, and more focused. It will also help define what is steampunk and what is not-really steampunk.

Other steampunk spin offs (Bronzepunk, stonepunk etc.) shoudl probably also be made into small articles.--ZayZayEM 08:02, 19 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Got any ideas for what to do with the "not quite steampunk but feels like it" stuff that really doesn't have a niche of its own? I mean, what is Sky Captain anyway? Just retro sci-fi, or what?
Sky Captain belongs to a sub-genre often called "retro-futurism". Whateley23 21:57, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

Also, is it just me, or is a lot of animejapanese video game steampunk kind of in a separate category of its own? Things like Final Fantasy and Trigun seem to have a lot more in common with each other stylistically and in terms of how technology is borrowed than with the rest of the genre, whatever that is.-Tinderblast 21:49, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Discworld

I think Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is definantly worth listing in the Bibleography somewhere, but not sure exactly where...

I think that Fantasy is where Pratchet's Discworld should sit. His stuff might contain stuff that could be considered Steampunk but that mostly due to the parody style of his writing. --Brother William 10:18, 1 June 2006 (UTC)
yeah,you could argue that the clacks are considered steampunk, but not much else is.
Agreed. The only thing I've come across in his works that are "steampunk"-esque are the clacks.24.206.232.82 04:46, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

Dinotopia

Why is Dinotopia included? Overall the books contain extremely little tech of any kind, let alone something that would exist later. A massive clock powered by a waterfall and very simple airships that are effectively hot-air balloons is the most advanced you get. The "strutters" that appear in the second and third hardcover books are tech, but from a lost, Atlantis-esque civilization, and powered by the purely fictitious Sunstones, not steam, clockwork, or anything of the sort.

 i completely agree. so, it's gone. Whateley23 23:41, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Acutually, it is set in the Victorian era, and most likely was origninally included for the steam-powered Dragoncopter and submersibles seen in the firts two books.

WoW?

I love me some World or Warcraft just as much as the next person.

But what, praytell, exactly classifies it as Steampunk? There is very little technology (if any), with the roll usually given to fantastic mechanical devices in most of the Steampunk genre, instead given to the supernatural.

Just a thought.

The Goblins, Gnomes and Dwarves from the Warcraft games (not just World of Warcraft, but Warcraft 3, it's expansion and the D20 Warcraft pen & paper roleplaying game, especially in the latter, which has a whole manual full of Steampunk-genre technology) have Steampunk-esque technology. Robrecht 15:10, 7 August 2005 (UTC)


Ive never thought Warcraft to be steampunk because of the comical nature of the rockets and tanks and robots and such.--70.17.208.32 00:33, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

There are steampunk elements in World of Warcraft, however as a whole the setting is a High Fantasy setting. However, simply because of the massive impact that World of Warcraft has had on society, it might be worth it to put it on the list anyway. (6 million subscribers, after all. )

Bri-Fi

This is a term I've invented for any Sci-Fi or Fantasy set in a real location in the UK, (Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Neverwhere, Geoffrey of Monmouth, His Dark Materials etc.)