Over the past few weeks, along with our revolution unit, we have been learning more and more about the aesthetics of steampunk. Steampunk is a style or genre of science fiction that delves into what the world would look like if the information revolution had happened a century earlier, in Victorian time. This ties into our revolution unit because the steampunk aestetic is based on the information revolution , which is a revolution we are learning about. During this unit, I’ve been the most curious as to how the steampunk aesthetic was created and why, so I decided to research it.
Steampunk started out as a science fiction sub-genre before it becam the subculture it was today. The basis of this literary genre was started around the 1970s and has only grown since. The genre was created on the basis that had more modern technology been readily available in the 1800s, the world would have been drastically different today. What sets steampunk apart from various other literary genres is that it has a firm aesthetic packaged into it as well. The aesthetic is very distinct and easily recognizable, seeing as everything is metal toned and powered by gears and steam. The origin of the idea of steampunk isn’t firmly known, but could have been thought of by writers such as Jules Verne or H.G. Wells.
In conclusion, it is still unknown why or how the general idea of a steampunk aesthetic was formed, but it was a revolutionary idea unlike any other before it.