Technofantasies in a Neo-Victorian Retrofuture
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University of Alberta The Steampunk Aesthetic: Technofantasies in a Neo-Victorian Retrofuture by Mike Dieter Perschon A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Comparative Literature © Mike Dieter Perschon Fall 2012 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission. Dedicated to Jenica, Gunnar, and Dacy Abstract Despite its growing popularity in books, film, games, fashion, and décor, a suitable definition for steampunk remains elusive. Debates in online forums seek to arrive at a cogent definition, ranging from narrowly restricting and exclusionary definitions, to uselessly inclusive indefinitions. The difficulty in defining steampunk stems from the evolution of the term as a literary sub-genre of science fiction (SF) to a sub-culture of Goth fashion, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) arts and crafts movements, and more recently, as ideological counter-culture. Accordingly, defining steampunk unilaterally is challenged by what aspect of steampunk culture is being defined. Even the seminal steampunk texts of K.W. Jeter, Tim Powers, and James Blaylock lack strong affinities. In his review of Tachyon’s Steampunk anthology, Rob Latham observes a “wide range of tonal and ideological possibilities” in the book’s twelve short stories and novellas originally published between 1985 and 2007 (347). Steampunk works share a fantastic aesthetic that separates steampunk from neo-Victorian writing or just alternate history. Instead of viewing steampunk as a genre, steampunk might be considered an expression of features, which when combined, constitute a style or aesthetic surface. An understanding of steampunk as an aesthetic permits the requisite flexibility to discuss its diverse expressions. Employing an evidence-based, exploratory approach, this study identifies three components of the steampunk aesthetic: neo-Victorianism, technofantasy, and retrofuturism. Unlike attempts to list ostensibly common themes or archetypes of steampunk, or simply catalogue recurring motifs or settings, this study will argue that these three components are found in the majority of steampunk works. For the purposes of concision, this study restricts the exploration to literary works, demonstrating how the components of neo- victorianism, technofantasy and retrofuturism are best suited for defining steampunk, inclusively accommodating a variety of steampunk narratives while exclusively drawing boundaries to avoid rendering the term meaningless. Acknowledgements My thanks to the following: Dr. Irene Sywenky, for supporting the topic, the ideas, and me My committee: Dr. Jonathan Hart, Dr. Peter Sinnema, Dr. Massimo Verdicchio, and Dr. Thomas Wharton Dr. Jack Robinson, for thinking outside the conference box The Bay Area steampunks, who were my first Legion Fantastique, for the goggles that went on every trip Lee Ann Faruga, for calling me a Canadian treasure Liana K. and J.M. Frey, for challenging the ideas “live without a net” Cory Gross and Krzysztof Janicz, for always making me think harder Diana Vick and Alisa Green, for letting me share at Steamcon every year Geomancer’s Dungeon, for helping me steampunk Tolkien Chris Garcia, for publishing the seeds of this project Tofa Borregard, for giving me a proper introduction to the steampunk scene Gail Carriger, for discernment on whose opinions matter Kevin Steil, for friendship beyond the fandom Sarah Shewchuk, for being a true colleague Mom and Dad, for the love, prayers, and encouragement Dan and Luella, for flying me south for research trips Gunnar and Dacy, for waiting patiently until I finished and Jenica, for helping me go the distance Table of Contents Contents Introduction: The Goggled Gaze of Steampunk .............................................. 1 Chapter One: A History of Steampunk Literature ....................................... 14 Antecedents and Inspirations ........................................................................... 16 Seminal Steampunk (1971-1994) .................................................................... 27 Steampunk Since the 1990s ............................................................................. 45 History as Fictive Playground ......................................................................... 59 Chapter Two: Prescribing Genre, Describing Aesthetic ............................... 64 The Aesthetic Approach ................................................................................ 64 Descriptive vs. Prescriptive Approaches to Steampunk Studies ..................... 70 The Diverse Toolbox of Speculative Literature .............................................. 75 Victorian Science Fiction ................................................................................ 81 Not Enough Punk: The Ambivalent Ideology of Steampunk .......................... 85 Mirroring the Mirroshades ............................................................................... 94 Steam Wars and Neo-Victorianism ............................................................... 106 “Resembling, Reviving, or Reminiscent of the Victorian era” ..................... 114 Alternate Histories, Alternate Worlds: Counterfactual, or Counterfictional? 122 Neo-Victorianism as Bricolage in Steampunk Literature: Joe Lansdale ....... 137 Neo-Victorianism as Detournement in Steampunk Literature: Felix Gilman 142 Chapter Four: Aesthetic II – Technofantasy................................................ 151 Magic Cloaked in Science ............................................................................. 151 Steam Wars: Automata, Aether, and Airships ............................................... 154 Magic and Alchemy in Steampunk ............................................................... 161 Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan – A Living, Breathing Airship ....................... 166 Technofantasy: the Liminal Space Between Faith and Reason ..................... 176 Chapter Five: Aesthetic III: Retrofuturism ................................................. 191 Beyond the Retro/Techno Discussion ........................................................... 191 A Self-Rescuing Princess: Retrofuturism in Steam Wars ............................. 193 Useful Troublemakers: The New Woman in Steampunk .............................. 203 The Parasol Protectorate: “I Would So Like Something Useful to Do.” ...... 205 The Clockwork Century: “Put Me Where I can make the Most Trouble.” ... 212 Conservative Nostalgia, Radical Regret ........................................................ 218 Bricolage and Detournement – Nostalgia vs. Regret .................................... 226 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 236 Appendix: A list of primary sources for steampunk studies....................... 247 1 Introduction: The Goggled Gaze of Steampunk Imagine Jules Verne as an inventor instead of an author. Imagine Captain Nemo’s Nautilus, a submarine capable of speeds rivaling modern Seawolf class attack submarines, as a reality. Imagine Frank Reade as historical figure instead of fictional persona; imagine his steam-powered robots as a fact of the American frontier. Envision a world where the speculative dreams of Victorian and Edwardian writers like Edgar Allan Poe, H.G. Wells, and Edgar Rice Burroughs were realities instead of fantasies, and you begin to see the world through steampunk lenses. When K.W. Jeter inadvertently coined the term “steampunk” in a letter to Locus magazine in 1987, he was ironically classifying the neo-Victorian stories he and fellow Californians James Blaylock and Tim Powers were writing. Despite such flippant beginnings, the term has demonstrated remarkable resilience, becoming the signifier for nearly every neo-Victorian work of speculative fiction since Jeter’s own Infernal Devices (1987). It has been used to retroactively subsume pre-Jeter scientific romances such as Michael Moorcock’s Nomad of the Time Streams (1971-1981), the ‘60s television series Wild, Wild West (1965- 1969), and alternate histories such as Keith Roberts’ Pavane (1966). Even the writings of H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and their futurist contemporaries have been labeled steampunk. Online debates continue raging, seeking to define steampunk, with answers ranging from narrowly restricting and exclusionary definitions, to uselessly inclusive indefinitions. Steampunk’s growing popularity in books, film, 2 games, fashion, and décor, has only exacerbated the problem, as the term has evolved from a literary sub-genre of Science Fiction (SF) to a sub-culture of Goth fashion, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) arts, crafts, and maker movements, and more recently, as counter-culture. The following study is an attempt to address the breadth of current steampunk expression while engaging in an exploratory inquiry