What is Steampunk?

While recently browsing etsy.com, my favorite online source for multifarious handmade goods, and via other sites and avenues, too, I've been noticing more & more goods that are classified as 'steampunk'. This word seems to be used to describe a certain fashion that combines elements of punk style, Gothic sensibilities, Victorian influences, and a sort of industrialism-infused flair. I've found myself wondering about this stylistic fusion. Why did these various sensibilities come together , how did this amalgamation come to be defined as steampunk, and what sets steampunk apart from other manifestations of alternative style? With such questions in mind, I decided to conduct a little research. Won't you come along for my ride?

Steampunk actually originated in the realm of literature. In the late 80s/early 90s, a proliferation of literary subgenres seemed to keep surfacing-and by subgenres, I mean even more niche-like variations on certain kinds of genre fiction. For example 'splatterpunk' was a variation on the horror genre that offered up much more bloody, visceral, extreme (and some might posit obscene) violence. For another example, 'cyberpunk' was a variation on the science fiction genre that offered up a focus on high technology, often in the midst of dystopian societies. Well, 'steampunk' was a variation that derived from the fantasy/speculative fiction genre and offered up tales set in an era when steam power was still widely used, thus the term 'steampunk'.

However, although steampunk tales tend to be set in a past time frame, often the Victorian era, they also include fantastical fictional elements, such as fabricated technological inventions. Basically, they combine a certain style of realism with a certain style of imaginative fantasy to create an amalgamation of Victorian aesthetic principles and more modern technologies and sensibilities.

It wasn't long before the steampunk aesthetic expanded beyond the parameters of literature and infiltrated the realm of visual art. Artisans began adding steampunk flair, such as stylized mechanical detailing, to modern utilitarian objects and such detailing soon made its way into fine art, where the steampunk aesthetic continues to evolve and flourish. After making its entrance into the art scene, including the area of artistically wrought jewelry, the steampunk aesthetic soon found its way into the land of fashion.

Steampunk as a fashion tends to be similar to steampunk as a literary genre, in that it fuses certain modern sensibilities and technologies with Victorian aesthetic principles; indeed, a sort of alternate term for steampunk is Neo-Victorianism. As with most any fashion, there is space for individual interpretation and variations, but a few of the more common components of steampunk fashion are dresses with petticoats and bustles for the ladies, suits with vests for the men, and period accessories such as parasols and timepieces.

Since the steampunk style does share some affinities with punk, industrial, and Gothic style, it tends to be popular with people in those subcultures, too. Some aficionados primarily just enjoy steampunk-infused literature, art, and/or accessories; others are interested in involving themselves with a more full-fledged steampunk aesthetic through fashion, home décor, and more; still others take it even more seriously and embrace steampunk as a kind of lifestyle.

This has been merely an introductory little jaunt into the world of steampunk. If your interest is piqued by the idea of steampunk as an aesthetic, steampunk as a subculture, or even steampunk as a kind of alternative lifestyle, much more can be discovered by conducting your own research.

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