Reviewed by: Steaming into a Victorian Future: A Steampunk Anthology eds. Julie Anne Taddeo and Cynthia J. Miller Jenny Barrett Steaming into a Victorian Future: A Steampunk Anthology Julie Anne Taddeo and Cynthia J. Miller, eds. Publisher: Scarecrow Press, ISBN: 9780810885868 For scholars and students of popular cultural forms, as well as counter-cultural enthusiasts, Steaming into a Victorian Future offers an engaging range of voices on the phenomenon of steampunk, a set of social practices, texts and objects that was propelled into the alternative literary, artistic and lifestyle scenes towards the end of the twentieth century. Whilst scholarship on this extraordinarily diverse category of self-expression is certainly established, not least Rebecca Onion's much-cited article in the inaugural issue of Neo-Victorian Studies, 'Reclaiming the Machine: An Introductory Look at Steampunk in Everyday Practice' (2008), Taddeo and Miller's edited collection allows the reader to look more closely at steampunk expressions that have hitherto fallen through the cracks. From the renaissance of the corset to chap-hop, from erotica to airships, this is an appealing combination of textual, social, historical and audience studies. As Foreword author Ken Dvorak warns, it is foolhardy to attempt to give the impression that steampunk is a unified movement or has a single philosophy. However, what emerges throughout the collection is a common fascination with the 'collision of past and future' as described by the editors. Onion's term 'reclaiming' is echoed frequently across the chapters with vocabulary that alludes to this relationship: 'reimagining,' 'reshaping,' 'remixing,' 'reappropriating,' 'recycling' and 'upcycling.' It is odd, then, despite postmodernism's shadow looming large over steampunk, to see how little this is discussed in the collection. It is possible that scholars have been influenced by Onion's claim for steampunk's 'anti-postmodern instinct' or are less familiar with more recent recognition of media- and history-savvy audiences and producers [End Page 63] engaging in meaningful and pleasurable, yet postmodern, practices (see Paul Grainge, 'Nostalgia and Style in Retro America: Moods, Modes, and Media Recycling,' Journal of American and Comparative Cultures, 23/1, 2004, 27-34). Overt discussions of hegemony and counter-hegemony, similarly, are conspicuous by their absence. The value of the collection lies mostly then, I would argue, in extending and complementing current steampunk scholarship as opposed to replacing it, which is clearly the goal of the editors and contributors. As with any collection, it will work most productively alongside seminal scholarship in its field and texts exploring the theoretical side of popular and counter-culture. This is not to say that the contributors avoid theory and not all have the same 'celebratory' or positive tone. It is a pleasure, for instance, to read a chapter such as that from Diana M. Pho which reminds us of the fate of many counter-cultural expressions: corporate adoption and commercialisation. It is encouraging to see more than one author, such as Mike Perschon and A. Bowdoin Van Riper, making reference to the cultural, political and historical awareness of the steampunk author, reader, viewer and practitioner who, we hope like us all, cannot ignore 'what has gone before.' Hence, steampunk literature and filmmaking, for example, not only recognise the dramatic progress in female enfranchisement since the late nineteenth century, but also present female characters who cannot help but benefit from the Ripleys, Buffys and Xenas who preceded them. There are moments when the teleology-radar senses an implication that certain ur-texts or proto-texts were part of a cultural-historical 'design' that led inevitably to steampunk, most notably in Part II entitled 'Refurbishing Time and Place.' And despite many tantalising references to the diverse nature of steampunk, the studies remain, like the pencil illustrations interspersed throughout the book, focused predominantly on 'white' characters and producers, notwithstanding an evident black presence in steampunk literature, roleplay games, films and more. Whilst postcolonial and anticolonial sentiments are discussed, gender and sexuality benefit from more attention than ethnicity. Perhaps this serves as a reminder that, generally speaking, steampunk remains a white domain much in need of 'cross-pollination,' as noted by Afterword author and fantasy writer, Jeff VanderMeer. This aside, the collection offers plenty of food for thought on the...
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Oct 26, 2020
Don M Autore + 2
Open Access