Today’s
Lecture by SteamU Professor: Karen Kincy
Author
of:
Shadows of Asphodel
Office
Hours:
Dieselpunk 101
by Karen Kincy
When you think of steampunk, what time period do you
imagine? What country? What city?
Many of us would imagine Victorian England,
particularly London. We might find our corseted heroine sipping tea aboard an
airship, high above the steampowered smog, when a dastardly villain launches
his clockwork flying monkeys from the Thames.
Or you, like me, might find Victorians a bit mundane.
You might be inclined to travel—even travel through time. You say goodbye to
Queen Victoria and hello to King Edward.
I’m fascinated by the time of King Edward’s reign,
from 1901 to 1910, though the Edwardian Era often includes a few years after
his death. Though that is, of course, an Anglocentric term. In France, for
instance, arts and innovation flourished in La Belle Époque. This beautiful era
lasted until the Great War.
As an author, where and when did I decide to go? Well,
I had been researching the differences between steampunk and dieselpunk. Some
said it was a simple matter of steam power vs. diesel power. Others said
steampunk focused on Victorian aesthetics and technology, while dieselpunk
explored the art deco militaristic feel of the World Wars.
Then a question occurred to me. Dieselpunk was named
after Diesel. Rudolf Diesel, to be exact, the German engineer and inventor of
the diesel engine. When was Diesel alive?
I hit the books and discovered Diesel was born in
1858, and died September 29, 1913 under mysterious circumstances. Diesel
boarded the steamer Dresden on his
way to England for a business meeting, but after he ate dinner and retired to
his cabin for the night, he was never seen from again.
This, I thought, would make a damn good plot twist.
Especially if Diesel didn’t die, but went on to build new inventions in an
alternate history.
So I set my story in 1913. A bit early for
dieselpunk, at first glance, but surely a book with Rudolf Diesel himself
qualifies.
Steampunk, dieselpunk, atompunk. Each of these
genres evokes the atmosphere of a particular slice of history. And each author
takes this history and tinkers with it until it becomes slightly or wholly
alternate.
(Granted, I tend to be strict with my own research
and deviations from reality. Don’t get me started about rigid airships that
ignore real zeppelins, which were immeasurably more awesome than anything
fictional.)
I’m currently working on the sequel to my
dieselpunk, and I’m researching all sorts of fascinating things about
zeppelins, Prussia, and Nikola Tesla. That’s my recipe for dieselpunk… with the
addition of some secret ingredients.
About the Author:
Karen Kincy (Redmond, Washington) can be found lurking in her writing cave, though sunshine will lure her outside. When not writing, she stays busy gardening, tinkering with aquariums, or running just one more mile. Karen has a BA in Linguistics and Literature from The Evergreen State College.
I think Steampunk can be any era. It's usually victorian, But I've seen some authors break out of that mold. I'm reading one series right now that is an alternate America after the civil war. And I just read one that was an alternate America after the revolutionary war. Both series are fab! I'm going to be searching for your books now that I know about them.
ReplyDeleteYou're right that the aesthetic can be used in lots of different settings. Generally the term "steam" is used to note the use of steam powered technology in place of the combustion engine. I've even seen steampunk stories set in dystopian settings. It really is a growing genre! Glad you found some great reads!
DeleteCan you explain the kickstarter program? I don't understand,
ReplyDeleteKickstarter is an independent platform where artists can ask for backers for their projects. Karen is currently running a campaign to have her next book supported monetarily.
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