Inspiration
comes from the strangest places. When I was thinking about a new subject in a
post-Castlefest season I watched a review of an art film. It’s one of those ‘love
it or hate it’ productions with many abstract images that have no rhyme or
reason to them. It’s a prime example of something people would call pretentious
or artsy. Art for the sake of art with no entertainment value.
This is what many associate with Postmodernism. It’s often weird, unhinged and so detached from reality it rarely makes any sense. Movies and music are often so abstract few people have the patience for it or fall asleep during the experience. But these kinds of productions belong to a stream of radical Postmodernism that few people care for or indulged in.
Yet Postmodernism defines our era, even thou many don’t realize it. A matter affect, many consider Steampunk a Postmodernist expression. But is it?
This is what many associate with Postmodernism. It’s often weird, unhinged and so detached from reality it rarely makes any sense. Movies and music are often so abstract few people have the patience for it or fall asleep during the experience. But these kinds of productions belong to a stream of radical Postmodernism that few people care for or indulged in.
Yet Postmodernism defines our era, even thou many don’t realize it. A matter affect, many consider Steampunk a Postmodernist expression. But is it?
What is Postmodernism?
It’s a reaction to ‘modern idea’s,’ that speak of the greater good and destiny
of nations or mankind. In other words, religious and ideological philosophies; Christianity,
Islam, Marxism and Capitalism.
There were always critics and atheists that doubted the idea of a ‘single truth’ all men had to abide by. But no event was as influential as the Great War of 1914-1918. It ended empires and lay waste to a whole generation of men. In countries like England and Germany the public had lost it’s faith in traditional idea’s and religion. They turned to new authoritarian ideologies and new forms of spirituality, like the New Age movement (Little known fact: certain elite members of the New Age Movement heralded Hitler as a messiah even before he came to power).
Next to this radicalization of mainstream politics, artists and poets radicalized in there own way. Not only did they blame world leaders for the Great War. They questioned the very nature of reality and especially the idea of truth. To them, God was Dead, and their era was the end of civilization. I hope my readers can imagine how these idea’s evolved from that point on, through the Second and Cold War, till today.
There were always critics and atheists that doubted the idea of a ‘single truth’ all men had to abide by. But no event was as influential as the Great War of 1914-1918. It ended empires and lay waste to a whole generation of men. In countries like England and Germany the public had lost it’s faith in traditional idea’s and religion. They turned to new authoritarian ideologies and new forms of spirituality, like the New Age movement (Little known fact: certain elite members of the New Age Movement heralded Hitler as a messiah even before he came to power).
Next to this radicalization of mainstream politics, artists and poets radicalized in there own way. Not only did they blame world leaders for the Great War. They questioned the very nature of reality and especially the idea of truth. To them, God was Dead, and their era was the end of civilization. I hope my readers can imagine how these idea’s evolved from that point on, through the Second and Cold War, till today.
Postmodernists
reject the notion of truth and objectivity. Everything we perserve is filtered
through our state of mind and emotions. So, in order to understand anything, we
must lay bare (deconstruct) everything to it’s inner workings. This means they
try to create a new vision on mundane subjects. Terry Pretchets Discworld
novels are a good example. For example, he compares insurance (Inn-Sewer-Ants) with
gambling and the meddling of the gods, in mortal affaires, to a game of Dungeon
and Dragons.
In a sense Postmodernism is about injokes. So you get movies that are about movie-making, videogames about making videogames and stories about storytelling. Sounds boring? Well, The Matrix-movie was basically a Postmodern story about how we view reality. How can we truly be sure we aren’t living inside a computer program?
Postmo can be a powerful tool to make people question, not just art, but our very surroundings. That all we perceive is subjective. Now, they are not even wrong, but it is a very impractical way of trying to make sense of reality. Some Postmodernists even gone so far to claim science, especially history, is bunk because everything we perceive is subjective and therefor can’t be investigated. Now science already had a tools too overcome our flawed nature, called the scientific method; ‘It works, bitches’. However, the Postmo’s ask a number of interesting questions regarding people’s tendency to accept old claims and traditions as the status quo.
In a sense Postmodernism is about injokes. So you get movies that are about movie-making, videogames about making videogames and stories about storytelling. Sounds boring? Well, The Matrix-movie was basically a Postmodern story about how we view reality. How can we truly be sure we aren’t living inside a computer program?
Postmo can be a powerful tool to make people question, not just art, but our very surroundings. That all we perceive is subjective. Now, they are not even wrong, but it is a very impractical way of trying to make sense of reality. Some Postmodernists even gone so far to claim science, especially history, is bunk because everything we perceive is subjective and therefor can’t be investigated. Now science already had a tools too overcome our flawed nature, called the scientific method; ‘It works, bitches’. However, the Postmo’s ask a number of interesting questions regarding people’s tendency to accept old claims and traditions as the status quo.
Despite it’s
critics and impracticality Postmodernism became very prevalent in fiction. Cyberpunk
questioned to notion of progress as a purely positive force. No wonder with the
aftermath of the Vietnam War, the looming threat of a third world war and the
possible dangers of the coming digital age. The world was changing and all
change leads to conflict. The time was ripe for the dystopian settings of
Cyberpunk in which technological progress has turn society itself into a
dehumanizing machine. From that arose Steampunk. But has Steampunk inherited the
Postmodern tendencies of it’s predecessor?
Traditionally
Steampunk is Cyberpunk in the past. However, it’s more about alternate history
then the dark side of technological process. It tries to put historical figures
and parties into a position in which they have advanced technology available to
them. Now, here it gets interesting. I often talked about Traditional Steampunk
versus Fantasy Steampunk. Fantasy writers tend to care little for historical
accuracy. They love the idea of the gentlemen and Victorian esthetic. Here it
clashes with the traditional writers, who want to debunk the idealized Victorian
era and society. Like in the Difference Engine were technological radicals have
pushed for their version of the digital age with no regard for the lower
classes. So, traditional Steampunk has a Postmodern streak to it. But how about
its community.
The
Steampunk-movement is, odd. It embraces the old and traditional, but rejects
modernity and conformism. Steampunk is very materialistic, but rejects mass
production. It embraces industry but rejects wastefulness and created it’s own brand
of eco-activism.
Within the community itself there are plenty of people that are inspired by Postmodern idea’s, but it doesn’t represent the goals and ambitions of the community itself. Steamers try to create a sense of timeless esthetic, inspired by history and archaic technology. Many designers perceive their designs simply to be a continuation of olders schools, like Arte Deco and Populuxe, and not a throwback to the eighteenth century.
As for me, I consider Steampunk to be a product of the twentyfirst-century. As a person I am very much a Postmodernist (I just discovered). I reject big idea’s and religion. I consider myself to be an individual and not a representation of the Steampunk community at large (please correct me if you think I am wrong). I feel that Postmodernism has had a great impact on Steampunk. If not directly then by the fiction that inspired Steampunk to begin with. But to call the movement Postmo is taking it to far. If anything, it is a continuation of Postmodern idea’s into a whole new direction.
Within the community itself there are plenty of people that are inspired by Postmodern idea’s, but it doesn’t represent the goals and ambitions of the community itself. Steamers try to create a sense of timeless esthetic, inspired by history and archaic technology. Many designers perceive their designs simply to be a continuation of olders schools, like Arte Deco and Populuxe, and not a throwback to the eighteenth century.
As for me, I consider Steampunk to be a product of the twentyfirst-century. As a person I am very much a Postmodernist (I just discovered). I reject big idea’s and religion. I consider myself to be an individual and not a representation of the Steampunk community at large (please correct me if you think I am wrong). I feel that Postmodernism has had a great impact on Steampunk. If not directly then by the fiction that inspired Steampunk to begin with. But to call the movement Postmo is taking it to far. If anything, it is a continuation of Postmodern idea’s into a whole new direction.
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