| The Machine Anxieties of Steampunk: Contemporary Philosophy, Victorian Aesthetics, and the Future Contributor(s): Albrecht, Kathe Hicks (Author) |
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ISBN: 1501349325 ISBN-13: 9781501349324 Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts OUR PRICE: $114.00 Product Type: Hardcover Published: November 2021 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Art | Subjects & Themes - Science Fiction & Fantasy - Art | Criticism & Theory - Philosophy | Aesthetics |
| Physical Information: 248 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: What is steampunk and why are people across the globe eagerly embracing its neo-Victorian aesthetic? Old-fashioned eye goggles, lace corsets, leather vests, brass gears and gadgets, mechanical clocks, the look appears across popular culture, in movies, art, fashion, and literature. But steampunk is both an aesthetic program and a way-of-life and its underlying philosophy is the key to its broad appeal. Steampunk champions a new autonomy for the individual caught up in today's technology-driven world. It expresses optimism for the future but it also delivers a note of caution about our human role in light of the ubiquitous machine. Thus, despite adopting an aesthetic and lifestyle straight out of the Victorian scientific romance, steampunk addresses significant 21st-century concerns about what lies ahead for humankind. The movement recovers autonomy from prevailing trends even as it challenges us to ask what it is to be human today. |