University Press of Mississippi Clockwork Rhetoric: The Language and Style of Steampunk

This unique book explores how the aesthetic/cultural movement "Steampunk" persuades audiences through rhetoric. Steampunk is an aesthetic style grounded in the Victorian era, or the age of steam. It borrows the clothing and other symbolic trappings of that era, but what is most reliably distinctive is its use of a machine aesthetic based on steam engines and early electrical machinery: gears, pistons, shafts, wheels, induction motors, and so forth. The aesthetic was first articulated in literature during that period in the works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. The American West has contributed images to the aesthetic, many of them grounded in the revolvers, locomotives, and rifles of the second half of the nineteenth century. It has found common aesthetic cause with Goth style among young people. Examples from literature and popular culture include William Gibson's fiction, China Miéville's novels, the classic film Metropolis, and the BBC series Doctor Who. Steampunk, is a unique popular culture phenomenon; it is also a unique opportunity for rhetorical criticism. Steampunk's art, style, and narratives convey complex social and political meanings. These chapters explore topics ranging widely from jewelry to Japanese anime to contemporary imperialism to fashion. Mainly, the book addresses how consumers of steampunk are influenced to have certain social, political attitudes and commitments.