tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069343736818411279.post4145050703201084897..comments2024-03-17T23:41:39.161-06:00Comments on Steampunk Scholar: The Diamond Age by Neal StephensonMike Perschonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09335943113292616702noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069343736818411279.post-84250430147753751782010-09-07T16:30:47.933-06:002010-09-07T16:30:47.933-06:00Loved this novel and most of Stephenson's othe...Loved this novel and most of Stephenson's other works. You should check out my review of it: http://amandarosetew.blogspot.com/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493641302620149370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069343736818411279.post-67572667898004512852009-09-23T22:18:52.392-06:002009-09-23T22:18:52.392-06:00Regarding 'conservativism': do you think t...Regarding 'conservativism': do you think the tension between the (surely sometimes superficial?) social conservatism / nostalgia of the Neo-Victorian vs. the radicalism of the 'punk' elements of steampunk will be one of the main themes of your emerging discourse?<br /><br />I wonder also whether you've seen good examples of serious alternative-conservatism or radicalism (by which I do not mean any mainstream varieties of Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Blue Tory, or Libertarianism, of course) in Steampunk?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069343736818411279.post-35966715163539478922009-09-23T20:02:55.685-06:002009-09-23T20:02:55.685-06:00Celi.a - that's just the problem. There really...Celi.a - that's just the problem. There really AREN'T any articles on Steampunk written by academics. Only a handful. Stefan Hantke wrote "Difference Engines and Other Infernal Devices: History According to Steampunk" back in 1999 for Extrapolation; Howard Hendrix has an article at Verniana about Phileas Fogg and Steampunk which is VERY good. One of my faves. I have an article coming out from Verniana, hopefully before the end of the year, and another in the cooker at the Journal of Neo-Victorian Studies. Dru Pagliassotti is another person to watch - good thoughts at her Ashen Wings website. Barring that, I'd say roam around the blog here - we steampunk scholars are building the discourse on the subject - it's a work in progress!Mike Perschonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09335943113292616702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069343736818411279.post-55956525788867581462009-09-23T17:47:31.109-06:002009-09-23T17:47:31.109-06:00This book sounds fantastic. Thanks for the mentio...This book sounds fantastic. Thanks for the mention. <br /><br />Thanks also for the comment on my blog (where to start in steampunk literature). I'm mostly a book blogger, and mostly a YA book blogger at that, but I've read Mieville's <i>The Scar</i> and a couple of other works that probably count in some way, shape or form as steampunk. The point of a reading challenge (for me) would be to compile a list of possibilities (be they anthologies, short stories, novels, films or what have you) from which to pick a couple, and then all the participants share their reviews and experiences on a central webpage...<br />Most of us book bloggers are drowning in our to-read piles (like, seriously...mine's going on 60 books, and that doesn't count any academic reading), and reading challenges are great ways to motivate us to read specific books by a specific time. And since steampunk seems to be the genre on the rise (according to those on the inside), we want to be prepared. Well...at least cognizant of a few of the major works and themes.<br /><br />All that said...can you recommend any articles on the rise/direction/work in steampunk during the last 5-10 years? I know that's an academic cop-out, but it'll be easier to find something through my university's weblink to JSTOR than at my local public library.<br /><br />Thanks again - best!Ceceliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02249223364936344560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069343736818411279.post-30045070741601513852009-09-23T17:08:15.866-06:002009-09-23T17:08:15.866-06:00I have a copy of The Diamond Age and am going to r...I have a copy of The Diamond Age and am going to read it once I finish The Difference Engine. I should actually get the MP3 version, it would be easier to find the time that way. Thanks for the reminder about Neal's book.Natalie Hatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09377665702278806398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069343736818411279.post-22279281513123604292009-09-22T22:23:33.325-06:002009-09-22T22:23:33.325-06:00Keri - I absolutely love the unabridged audio vers...Keri - I absolutely love the unabridged audio version, which you can get for mp3 players from Audible.com. That's how I digested most of the book, and thought the reader was brilliant. <br /><br />Michael - I had the same thought regarding the dialogue on hypocrisy. And yes, I would say you could easily build a case for a certain type of conservativism, but not in the Republican sense. <br /><br />As for the other books, Cryptonomicon will have to wait as it doesn't have anything to do with my research, but both the Baroque Cycle and Anathem are on the list of books that skirt the edges of neo-Victoriana, so they're not quite so far down my reading list...but definitely after works that can clearly be identified as containing a steampunk aesthetic.Mike Perschonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09335943113292616702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069343736818411279.post-28600684092683805402009-09-22T17:28:50.015-06:002009-09-22T17:28:50.015-06:00"Stephenson is clearly making some strong sta..."Stephenson is clearly making some strong statements about the family."<br /><br />Indeed. I also found his dialogue on hypocrisy (190-1) to appear quite pointed, yet sincere. In combination with the apparent inevitability of the ending, though, I wonder if you could build a case for the book almost having a 'conservative' or 'Western' sensibility?<br /><br />Great book, great review. Off-topic, have you read Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, Baroque Cycle or Anathem?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1069343736818411279.post-68030305512505191042009-09-22T16:26:54.409-06:002009-09-22T16:26:54.409-06:00I got the unabridged version of this as a book on ...I got the unabridged version of this as a book on cassette tape for $5 at an outlet mall years ago. I'd never heard of Stephenson (or anything steampunk) before. I still have all ten of those cassettes even though I have no way to play them.<br /><br />Now I try to shove it down the throat of anyone who uses the term "steampunk" with me, chasing them down dark alleys to make them read this, if nothing else, that Stephenson's written.<br /><br />And I agree. The cover is pointless.Keri Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13958093932654844690noreply@blogger.com