When we’re talking Cyberpunk, sooner or later
(especially on the internet), someone is going to come in and start screaming
“Hey, that’s not real Cyberpunk.
That’s [insert random subgenre ending in –punk here].” I figure the best way to
address this is to just cut it off at the start. This blog is dedicated to the
exploration of Cyberpunk as a genre and subculture, but it is also going to
talk about texts that walk the line between Cyberpunk and other –punk
derivatives. Why? Because they’re all connected.
Derivatives of cyberpunk may
not share Cyberpunk’s high-tech atmosphere in the literal sense, but they often
draw from similar thematic and aesthetic sources. Most of these spin-offs focus
in more explicitly on a type of technology or time period that narrates larger
thematic concerns of counterculture or social and political structures or
issues.
The following are some brief descriptions of some of the
derivatives I’m talking about that you might see appear in later posts. Please
note that these are not all the related subgenres out there, just some that
will foreseeably come up on this blog. If you’re eager to read more or think I
did a crap job summing it all up, check out some of the links under “Resources”
on the right side bar, or venture into the vastness of the internet for some
other people’s takes on the matter.
Post-Cyberpunk:
Is there even such a
thing? Well, Lawrence Person for one seems to think so. In his “Notes toward a
PostCyberpunk Manifesto,” Person describes the Post-Cyberpunk movement as one
which is pretty much Cyberpunk, but with a more positive outlook on life. That
is, the post-cyberpunks, as Person sees it have begun to leave behind the
dystopian outlooks in favor of social landscapes that are not drastically
failing humanity. Person writes that Post-Cyberpunk protagonists are
“frequently integral members of society” who “have careers, friends,
obligations, responsibilities.”1 Where “in cyberpunk, technology
facilitates alienation from society, in postcyberpunk, technology is society.
Technology is what the characters breathe, eat, and live in.” Since naturally,
adding “post” to the front of a genre seems to be the best way to title that
which comes after, the parameters of the Post-Cyberpunk SF movement are even
more ill-defined than that of its predecessor, mainly due to one small fact:
we’re still living it. If what we call “Cyberpunk” took its curtain call in the
90s, then what we call Post-Cyberpunk is either just ending, or just getting
its feet off the ground in contemporary SF. Either way, best keep a look out
for more discussion of what the Post-Cyberpunks have to offer.
Biopunk:
Biopunk is perhaps the derivative that conflates the most with Cyberpunk
in style and content. Biopunk works focus specifically on “organic technology.”
Many biopunk tropes are things like bio-augmentation and genetic engineering.2
The term “Post-human” comes into play here. Many Cyberpunk novels also dabble
in biopunk themes; for example, the Schizmatrix universe of Bruce Sterling has
two main groups of “altered” post-humans: Mechanists (those with mechanical
upgrades) and the Shapers (those with genetic upgrades). Another common
occurrence in biopunk works are things such as organic buildings or ships
(think Moya from Farscape).3
· Splatterpunk:
Splatterpunk is probably the subgenre
that has, let’s say, spun-off the furthest from Cyberpunk as a genre. In
certain posts, horror theory will be brought up and the intersections of SF and
Horror as genres, which makes it worthwhile to look into the subgenre of
“Splatterpunk.” The term was coined in the mid-eighties by David J. Schow at
the World Fantasy Convention. Paul M. Sammon in Splatterpunks: Extreme Horror discusses it as horror when one
“remove[s] the limits of society and so-called taste.”4 Splatterpunk
gets its name from the excessively bloody slasher films (nicknamed “Splatter
films”) and the onset of punk rock music deemed “willfully crude.”5 Splatterpunk
works don’t just depict overwhelming amounts of gore and violence, but revel in
it. Most Splatterpunk works are about the cruelty and violence of humans. They
leave atmosphere and suspense at the door and focus on showing the darker side of
humanity, with an emphasis on blood, sex, and gore.6
· Steampunk:
In recent years, Steampunk has
practically become a cultural phenomenon. The most prolific of Cyberpunk
derivatives, Steampunk has evolved into way more than simply a subgenre of SF
into fashion, engineering, music, and more.7 At its core, Steampunk
is similar to Cyberpunk in its obsession with technology, but is rooted in a
specific era. Steampunk generally uses the backdrop of Victorian England or the
America’s Western frontier and focusses on developing advanced technology
within the constraints of steam power and limited electrical capacity. Because
of this, many Steampunk works are pieces of malachronism or
alternative history.8 The Difference
Engine (1992) by Bruce Sterling and William Gibson (these guys are
everywhere!) is often credited as the book that brought attention to the genre
of Steampunk.9 Similarly to Cyberpunk, Steampunk has entered a
period of mass-market appropriation and growing commercialism, which is causing
writers and scholars to question its “punk” nature. However, as the Ministry of
Peculiar Occurrences writes, “Steampunk, at least the way we see it, gets its
“punk” not in its dystopian view of the world or even in its gritty edge. The
“punk” in “Steampunk” comes from going against convention that, through
creativity and declaration of one’s individuality be it through style, gadgets,
or attitude, sets one apart.”10
Dieselpunk is what I would term the
younger brother of Steampunk (or maybe a son or grandson?). Dieselpunk shares
Steampunk’s attachment to historical time periods, but rather than focusing on
the steam powered era of the 1800s, Dieselpunk glorifies a 1920-50s American
zeitgeist. Many Dieselpunk works are pieces of alternative history in which the
Great Depression never occurred, promoting a rapid influx of technology.11 Its name comes largely from the association of this era with the diesel fueled
engine. Like Steampunk, Dieselpunk is largely differentiated by its stylistic
elements and the atmosphere of the fictive world. Dieselpunk works take
inspiration from German Expressionist films, film noir, pulp magazines, radio
dramas, crime and wartime comics, pinups, and early 20th century
propaganda and newsreels. The works often use retrofuturistic innovations and
tesla technology. 12 Although the Great Depression is often left out
of the Dieselpunk universe, many works focus on military hardware, weaponry,
uniforms, and combat as well as WWII and fictional variations on it.13 Like Cyberpunk, Dieselpunk glorifies the common man and centers on conflict
with an undefeatable power; Dieselpunk often addresses themes of the gray areas
of morality.14
· Elfpunk:
Elfpunk is essentially a
limited Urban Fantasy with Cyberpunk sentiments. Elfpunk segregates itself from
other types of Urban Fantasy by limiting its use of fantasy to established
Faerie/Fae lore.15 The stories in this vein attempt to stay as close to original
mythos (whether its Celtic, Japanese, Slavic, whatever) as possible, which
similarly to Steampunk and Dieselpunk requires vast amounts of research into
the “era” you’re attempting to portray.16 Elfpunk essentially takes
elves and other faerie creatures and places them in modern society. Elfpunk
like Cyberpunk carries themes of rebellion, societal pressures, social norms,
and a dark and gritty undercurrent. They often depict street smart characters
who know how to navigate the underbelly of the streets, but as a whole are less
concerned with dystopia, and more-so chronicles of social progress and
acceptance.17
Notes
1 Lawrence Person,“Notes
Toward a Postcyberpunk Manifesto,” Slashdot, 28 Apr. 2016.
https://news.slashdot.org/story/99/10/08/2123255/notes-toward-a-postcyberpunk-manifesto.
2 “Biopunk,” TVTropes, 27
Apr. 2016.http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BioPunk.
3 Ibid, 2.
4 David Carroll, “The
Grossery List,” Tabula Rasa 6, 1995.
http://www.tabula-rasa.info/Horror/Splatterpunk.html.
5 Ken Tucker, “The
Splatterpunk Trend, And Welcome to It,” NY Times, 24 March 1991.
6 Ibid, 4.
7 “What is Steampunk,”
The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, 28 Apr. 2016.
http://www.ministryofpeculiaroccurrences.com/what-is-steampunk/
8 “Steampunk,” The
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 15 March 2016.
http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/steampunk.
9 Ibid., 7
10 Ibid., 7
11 “Dieselpunk,”
TVTropes, 27 Apr. 2016. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DieselPunk.
12 Ibid, 11.
13 “What is Dieselpunk?”
Dieselpunks, 28 Apr. 2016. http://www.dieselpunks.org/.
14 Ibid, 13.
15 Suzannelazear, “What
is Elfpunk?” Steamed! 19 July 2010.
https://ageofsteam.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/what-is-elfpunk/.
16 Ibid, 15.
17 Ibid, 16.
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