Titanic Anniversary… and airships!

An early take on airships - SpikedMcGrath

It is the anniversary of the Titanic, a time I couldn't pass up to add another post. Seeing all the reminders of the Titanic puts me in the mind of another staple of steampunk, which is of course… airships! Just one of the other cool things about the genre, but let’s step back first. What has the Titanic got to go with steampunk? The Titanic was steam driven wasn't it? Yes there were the corsets and top-hats, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, but I want to go deeper down the mechanical bunny hole. There is so much more than that and seeing the epic romance of the movie only strengthens my belief.

Steampunk Titanic

Yes I know, Titanic, 1912, a bit late. But the themes captured by the movie are shared by some of the best steampunk media, the ones that delve deep into the genre and feed the appetites of avid fans. I can think of at least two, but they are big ones.

First of all there is the clash of social classes in a rigid society. Titanic draws two worlds from the beginning, the Dickensian underclass placed right beside the wealthy elite, and what greater, yet simpler, barrier could there be in this epic Romeo and Juliet styled romance? And so I have just introduced the second; an epic, fantastical voyage filled with romance. We have two simultaneous stories, first one of discovery, interestingly with the bored, affluent Kate like Alice going down the rabbit-hole, with Leonardo her a magical guide. The second story we have Kate as Juliet and Leonardo reprising his role in Romeo in a story much like the most famous romance in literary history. 

Japanese airship by Vimark

Add to this the final, epic element – the entire world (as we know it in the story) coming to an end.

It’s amazing that this story hasn’t been replicated in steampunk… or perhaps it has? All I know is that I’m itching for a stylus as the image of a Titanic Airship soars through the clouds of my imagination. Which leads me to my next subject

Airships!

Is it possible to talk of Airships! without exclamation marks? I’d like to see you try! Browsing artwork for airships, I was fascinated to see the variety of airships. There is something about them, ploughing through the clouds like waves on an ocean that steals my imagination. I can’t imagine how they would do lifeboats though… perhaps parachutes? I don’t know if that is worse of better…

If you have a favourite airship artwork or you are an artist and have drawn your own… even if you aren’t an artist, I’d love to see your work!

Some sketches by Amarynceus showing the potential range!

Steampunk Horror

Verily… tis the night of Friday the 13^th… 

Nikola Tesla and the Horror from Mars

A long time before the invent of the steam beast and the gibus on Black Friday, the day the French King greedily wiped out the secretive Knights Templar from most of Europe. As he roasted on the flames of *heresy* before church and king, the grandmaster of the knights cursed his former benefactors and a legend was born. While not the only myth surrounding Friday the 13th - the myth of the Templars has endured and inspired mysticism still popular in steampunk today. On that note, let us talk of one of the greats of the genre...

Frankenstein

Marty Feldman - from the comical
Young Frankenstein. The eyes!

I can think of no greater example of horror steampunk that the legendary story of Frankenstein, one of the most famous of all time. First written by Mary Shelley on a dare (oh to belong to those writing clubs of old), the story of Frankenstein and his monster has endure through generations, paralleled only (perhaps) be Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde or the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Though not strictly steampunk, Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde certainly foreshadowed some of the popular themes that would emerge in steampunk’s future, as explored by League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

By aruarian-dancer - an beautiful example of the
amazing art you can find on Deviantart

One of the post powerful concepts driving the Frankenstein story is that it is not just about creating life, but creating a person. The title character Dr Frankenstein himself overlooks this detail himself. We start with the creation of Frankenstein’s monster (remember… Frankenstein himself is the inventor, not the guy with the bolt through his neck). Frankenstein’s maniacal desire is to create life, but in doing so neglects the greater question of what is life – an obsession both he and his creation will both have to pay for. This is what makes Frankenstein a true masterpiece that has endured over the years since ints creation. What at first repels us as monstrous soon demands our empathy as we watch the monster’s struggle. Like any child, the monster rebels against its “father” and his ideals to discover what life means for itself (himself?). It soon learns a hard lesson about the darker aspects of human nature as fear and prejudice drive the pitchfork-posse against him.

Steampunk Horror Artists - check out some of the great artists on Deviantart.

Black Beast - horror fiction by R.S. Guthrie

And its not hexed! (I think...) 

Though not steampunk I wanted to do a special mention in honor of the day. As of this day it appears this copy is free on amazon, though the author has promised a whopping 50% of sales revenue to a young man, Ben, who has autism and Down Syndrome, so you should definitely check it out.

Even if you're not into supernatural horror, Rob maintains an excellent website with interesting insights on writing - a good resource if you're an indie writer or just interested in the industry. 

See it here on Rob on writing.

on Amazon

What is steampunk?

 Welcome to the world of gears, corsets and the Victorian Gentleman...

Talented artist
Bakanekonei

Many people have flipped open the gear cover to look at the question of what steampunk is (and, perhaps, more amusingly, what it is not). One of the best I've seen is at An Educated Guess. But like literature or art, steampunk is many things to many people, and that's what makes it special. I'm not going to regurgitate wikipedia or the other exhausted websites. We all know the usual stuff we read. What I'm really interested in is what it is about steampunk that excites *you* - what you like about the genre, maybe what you like to see and don't like to see, whether in art, fiction, film or otherwise. 

What it means to me...

I think there is an optimism in steampunk, a promise by technology of what could be at a time that is otherwise pretty grim, a bit like Oliver Twist starting in the rookery and finding his family. Steampunk is about the big city that is oppressive and dark, but from the mundane there is a sense of magical wonder, a lot like Disney's workshop. Visually the world is amazing - even beyond the corsets, long coats, top-hats and goggles. 

Stunning Yaya Han - cosplayer
model and designer

It is fantasy with a small "f" - it invites the steampunker to be an inventor and creator and to fix problems using wit and elbow grease, whether travelling through time, exploring a still mysterious horizon or soaring through the sky on majestic wings and balloons. There is sometimes a sense of magic as well, or at least the sunset of magic as dawn of reason and machine approaches.
I guess in summary there is a sense of romanticism. Not romance in the sense of Romeo and Juliet (though there is often that as well) but the sense of wonderment in a world that is not *that* distant from our own. Add mystery, in the truest sense of Holmes, then watch as the sun sets on the preceeding world of sword and sorcery and the dawn of the industrial era rises, where magicians replace their pointed hats and staffs for goggles and a wrench. It is these artificers who plum the new potential of its depths. 

Dipping your toes in

There is such a proliferation of steampunk that it can be daunting. Here are some links that I found helpful on my journey.

• The Steampunk Empire - a must for true lovers of steampunk!
• Steampunk TOR - an excellent blog article about steam with some great links from the mighty publishers. It's extensive but totally worth reading - make sure you've got coffee.
• Steampunk Tribune - a wealth of information and links, one of the best I've seen.
• Tvtropes - who hasn't heard of tvtropes? If you haven't looked already, let this link save you time.
• Steampunk on Deviantart - a collection of the masterpieces of the genre on the best gallery of artwork
• Steampunk Artists on Deviantart - for the more aspiring artist - share your own masterpieces

Amazing Jan Ditlev - digital artist

Welcome to a wonderful world - you've just joined a tremendous group of enthusiasts. madames et monsieurs, I bid you all the best on your new adventure!