Right about now some of you are thinking “this is a waste of
time, Cyberpunk is pretty self-explanatory.” And also right now, even more of
you are thinking “I clicked on this page to find out what the heck Cyberpunk
is, now get on with it.” And I will. But, first a bit of background.
Cyberpunk is a SF (science or speculative fiction) subgenre
that evolved in the early 1980s. The term “cyberpunk” was coined by Bruce
Bethke in “Cyberpunk” in the Fall 1983 edition of Amazing; later the term was
grabbed to describe a literary movement and cultural phenomenon.1
Like most counterculture (hopefully, the “-punk” suffix tipped you off to this)
movements, the Cyberpunks rose as a reaction to the predominant literary and
artistic trends in SF of the 60s and 70s, the New Wave.
New Wave SF, essentially, was a transitionary period in
which the definition of what could be considered “science fiction” was
expanded. Many authors of this time period worked towards elevating SF from a
genre merely fit for pulp magazines and two-reel cinema to a genre to be taken
seriously. In addition to this, the New Wave authors focused less on Hard SF
(referring to the hard sciences like math, physics, chemistry, biology)
explanation and outer-space and more on the Soft SF ( referring to soft
sciences like psychology, sociology, anthropology, and political science)
exploration and inner-space. In the early 80s SF authors once again took to the
drawing boards to reinvent themselves and the genre.
Bruce Sterling wrote in Cheap Truth that “SF has one
critical advantage: it is still a pop industry that is close to its audience.
It is not yet wheezing in the iron lung of English departments or begging for
government Medicare through arts grants.”2 Sterling’s cleverly
crafted call to action demanded that SF writers not forget their roots in pulp
fiction, and remember that part of the greatness of SF and genre fiction like
it is that it is audience driven entertainment, or, in other words, it’s meant
to be exciting, fun, and enjoyed by the masses. Authors like William Gibson (Neuromancer)
and Bruce Sterling (Schizmatrix), who are largely credited as the forefathers
of Cyberpunk, made a return towards the explanatory Hard SF aspects of Golden
Age SF, but retained the social undercurrents and stylistic complexity of the
New Wave writers.3 The result was the cliché “high-tech, low-life”
style of Cyberpunk.
So, What is Cyberpunk?
A question much easier asked than answered. It seems that
before any scholar takes on the task of defining cyberpunk, they first
acknowledge the difficulty of the task at hand, and I shall do the same. Brian
McHale in “Towards a Poetics of Cyberpunk” writes that cyberpunk is not one
thing or another--not an object that can be quantified. McCaffery in the
Introduction to Storming the Reality Studio writes that the Cyberpunks excelled
at “producing works that defy easy categorization.”4 Heck, even
Bruce Sterling takes a moment to acknowledge the futility of the endeavor of
categorization (but also somehow justifies it?) in the Preface to Mirrorshades
stating “Critics, myself included, persist in label-mongering, despite all
warnings; we must, because it's a valid source of insight - as well as great
fun.”5 So, now that that’s been done, let’s try to move forward and
assemble some semblance of an understanding as to what Cyberpunk is and how it
works as a genre of written and visual art.
Just give it to me quick and dirty:
All superficial details set aside, Cyberpunk “represents a
synthesis of SF with postmodern aesthetic tendencies and thematic impulses.”6
Alright, maybe not that dirty:
Let me break it down for you. What this guy up top is saying
is that the Cyberpunk genre integrates stylistic and thematic elements common
in post-modern novels, that is 20th century works that center on the breakdown
of skepticism towards pre-established structures in art, culture, society,
whatever. These post-modern tendencies in Cyberpunk are seen in the ways
authors explore the possibilities for the advancement of technology and the
human relationship with it, the potential breakdown or overhaul of our social
order, and the repercussions of these changes and advancements on society at
large.
Alright, maybe not that quick:
To get into the nitty-gritty a little bit more, in the
Introduction to Cyberpunk Victoria Blake writes that “cyberpunk was never
really about a specific technology or specific moment in time. It was, and it
is, an aesthetic position as much as a collections of themes, an attitude
toward mass culture and pop culture, an identity, a way of living, breathing, and
grokking our weird and wired world.”7
Bruce Sterling breaks it down a little bit further in his
Preface to Mirrorshades. He described
Cyberpunk as a true product of the 80s. It is a genre “steeped in the lore and
tradition of the SF field.”8 The genre pulls from all of its
precursors, yet also makes something uniquely its own.
Sterling writes:
“And suddenly a new alliance is becoming evident: an
integration of technology and the Eighties counterculture. An un-holy alliance
of the technical world and the world of organized dissent - the underground
world of pop culture, visionary fluidity, and street-level anarchy. The hacker
and the rocker are this decade's pop-culture idols, and cyberpunk is very much
a pop phenomenon: spontaneous, energetic, close to its roots. Cyberpunk comes from the realm where the computer hacker and the rocker overlap, a cultural
Petri dish where writhing gene lines splice. Some find the results bizarre,
even monstrous; for others this integration is a powerful source of hope.”9
To bring it all back around to some semblance of an answer
to our original question, Cyberpunk, at its core, has two main goals: 1) to
present possible futures or alternative presents in which (any) technology has
advanced to the benefit or detriment of humans and their societies, and 2) to
draw from the Punk culture of the 80s to craft stories that disillusion the
masses.10
How can I recognize something as Cyberpunk?
First, let’s reiterate the lesson we learned at the very
beginning of this post: there are no hard and fast rules to what is and isn’t
Cyberpunk. Genre is a tricky subject, and even the pros don’t know for sure
where the boundaries lie (if there are any).
But for those of you really looking to categorize, here are
a few common tropes for Cyberpunk:
1.) Technology is Awesome
It’s a common misperception that a certain type of
technology is what makes a Cyberpunk work cyberpunk. Be honest, when you think
Cyberpunk, you think Cyberspace—computers, virtual reality, hackers, etc. And
while these things are in fact common tropes of the Cyberpunk genre (because
who doesn’t love a good virtual reality), they are by no means restraints. The
“love of tech” Victoria Blake describes as a tenet of Cyberpunk fiction is not
restricted to life inside the Matrix.11 The “cyber” in “Cyberpunk”
relates not to Cyberspace (the digital world inside a computer) but to
Cybernetics.12 This means that the technology isn’t limited to
computer tech, but can include any and every type of advancement brought on by
technology (whether it’s new machines, drugs, or biological engineering).
2.) Information is the New Pink
What I mean by this is that information isn’t just
everywhere, it’s universally valued. Information is a commodity and people
specialize in the buying and selling of it. The oversaturation of information
is common in both forma and content in Cyberpunk texts. Artists often structure
their texts to mimic the density of information in their Cyberpunk societies. 13This
relates to the common motif of “media overloads” or “info-dumping.” A great
example of this is the intercalary chapters in M.T. Anderson’s Feed which
include snippets of the commercials and newscasts being pumped simultaneously
into the protagonist’s brain.
3.) Corporate America Sucks
In the late 20th Century, Cyberpunk realized that "the old SF structure of "alter
only one thing and see what happens" was hopelessly outdated...the future isn't "just one damn thing after another," it's
every damn thing all at the same time.”14 Perhaps due to its tendency towards dystopia, or its
relation to the punk attitude, Cyberpunk as a genre is often highly critical of
society, specifically, that of corporate America. In Cyberpunk cities,
governments are often left by the way-side in favor of Mega-corps that run the
show. In many instances, protagonists are fighting the corporations in an
attempt to create a change in the over-consumeristic masses. You’re either with
the corps, or against them. Youth Revolt, Fight the Power, Stick it to the man,
and all that good stuff.
4.) Even the Slums have Slums
Cyberpunk novels largely take place in a world that is
plagued by overpopulation and urban decay. 15 This overpopulation
and hyper-urbanization is often seen through descriptions of setting. The
black-market, rebel base, or city underground are all places where the
Cyberpunk characters flourish. Settings in overindustrialized,
overcommercialized landscapes reinforce the gritty narrative tone as well as
leave ample space for the appearance of anti-heroes (discussed below).
5.) People are Flawed
In “Notes toward a PostCyberpunk Manifesto” Lawrence Person
writes that “classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized, alienated loners
who lived on the edge of society in generally dystopic futures where daily life
was impacted by rapid technological change, an ubiquitous datasphere of
computerized information, and invasive modification of the human body.”16
Aside from these traits, Cyberpunk narratives also favor unsympathetic
protagonists or antiheroes. Their characters, while street smart, are
realistically human, which in this case, means flawed. Cyberpunk’s social
commentary, which runs as an undercurrent throughout most texts, is ultimately
dependent on the characters within the novel to be complex and interesting--not
always likeable, but often relatable.
6.) Rebel Yells
You may have picked up on this already, but in case you
haven’t Cyberpunk texts are topically about rebellion, but also, in a way, an
act of rebellion in themselves. While the characters in Cyberpunk texts stand
up against corporations or strive to break free from the constraints of their
societies, the texts themselves were an attempt to both recognize and
appreciate the historical achievements of the SF genre, but also to break free
from it. While many Cyberpunk texts are also dystopias, Cyberpunk heroes never
give up. Regardless of the impossibility of achieving an end goal, they keep
fighting, and a glimmer of hope usually remains alive.17 While the
battles may seem endless, they continue to be fought.
1 “Cyberpunk,” SF Encyclopedia, 10 Apr. 2015.
http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/cyberpunk.
2 Bruce Sterling Cheap Truth
3 Brian McHale, “Towards a Poetics of Cyberpunk,”
Beyond Cyberpunk: New Critical Perspectives, Routledge (NY: 2010).
4 Larry McCaffery, “Introduction: The Desert of
the Real,” Storming the Reality Studio: A Casebook of Cyberpunk and Postmodern
Science Fiction, Duke University Press
(Durham & London: 1991).
5 Bruce Sterling. “Preface to Mirror Shades.” 30
Apr. 2016. http://project.cyberpunk.ru/idb/mirrorshades_preface.html.
6 Ibid, 4.
7 Victoria Blake, “Introduction,” Cyberpunk:
Stories of Harware, software, wetware, evolution and revolution, Underland
Press (2013).
8 Ibid, 5.
9 Ibid, 5.
10 Ibid, 1.
11 Ibid, 7.
12 Ibid, 1.
13 Ibid, 1.
14Lawrence Person, “Notes Toward a Postcyberpunk
Manifesto,” Slashdot, 28 Apr. 2016.
https://news.slashdot.org/story/99/10/08/2123255/notes-toward-a-postcyberpunk-manifesto.
15 Katie Hafner and John Markoff, “Introduction,”
Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier, Revised, Touchstone
(New York:1991).
16 Ibid, 14.
17 Paul Levinson, “Introduction,” Altered States:
A Cyberpunk Sci-fi Anthology, Indie Authors Press (London: 2014).
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