Victorianomania. Reimagining, refashioning, and rewriting Victorian Literature and culture, 2015
Gender has historically been understood as two faces of the same coin, assigned according to biol... more Gender has historically been understood as two faces of the same coin, assigned according to biological sex and clearly distinguished by the features attributed to each of them. Therefore, they were expected to follow a certain set of rules which were different for each sex. However, gender is not considered in dual terms anymore. Critics like Judith Butler have proven that this duality does not fit the current identities that can be recognised. Cross-dressing, trans-gender and new femininities and masculinities blur this traditional division of gender. In fact, Butler considers these gendered identities as artificial constructs which are fully independent of biological sex and result from the cultural influence of social norms and ideas of a given period (23). Steampunk presents a dystopic, retrofuturistic world in which these blurred gendered identities are frequent. In fact, cross-dressing together with the externalization of inner identities by means of fashion and modding are common practices among the members of this community. Throughout my paper I will discuss the disappearance of these stereotypes and how it affects the world of steampunk, paying special attention to women within this group. As examples of my arguments I will address and contrast both Victorian and contemporary productions. Works belonging to the Victorian period will be contrasted with their steampunk re-interpretation, especially the character of Mina Harker in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) and Stephen Norrington's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). In my analysis, Butlerian ideas about gender and identity and Michel Foucault's notions about control and submission will also be highly relevant.
First impressions have always been said to be crucial in most situations. Traditionally, outfit i... more First impressions have always been said to be crucial in most situations. Traditionally, outfit is linked to one’s conception of the society one lives in. Some scholars, such as Roberts, argue that fashion was used in Victorian times as a means of control. Crinolines, crinolinettes and tight-lacing were elements of repression deriving from the social consideration of women as objects that must observe certain rules of behaviour; as Ellis states, a woman was expected “to suffer and be still” (Roberts 556). However, the introduction of new materials and new designs has given rise to a reinterpretation of this Victorian apparel. This reinvented female fashion has become a distinguishing mark of the Steampunk Neo-Victorian sub-culture, which recovers nineteenth-century female fashion and gives it a radically different meaning. My paper will focus on the transition from Victorian to Steampunk fashion and the new implications coming from the reinterpretation of the various elements used for feminine appearance. Several cultural productions of the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries will be used as examples of my main arguments, paying particular attention to the character of Mina Harker as represented in Stoker’s masterpiece Dracula (1897) and in Norrington’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). As the members of this community are increasing not only in Britain but worldwide, research on the different features of this movement become highly relevant for cultural studies. Fashion can be considered to be a good starting point for research on the topic of gender identities and new gender stereotypes within the steampunk trend. To provide my arguments with a relevant theoretical framework, I will make reference to several works by experts in the field of gender and cultural studies. Foucaultian notions about control over female bodies will also be relevant in my paper, as well as Butlerian ideas about the construction of gender identity. Given that steampunk is set in a retro-futuristic world, some of Braidotti’s notions about the post-human will be also discussed. My main thesis is that female steampunk fashion has developed to a point in which it is not just a reinterpretation of the Victorian past, but something totally new that has enabled the twenty-first-century woman to externalise her inner self and her true identity. For instance, Victorian tight-lacing has moved from being a means of patriarchal control to a way for women to show self-confidence and control over their own bodies. Moreover, cross-dressing has also become part of this sub-culture, being highly frequent in steampunk conventions and meetings.
Women have traditionally been objects of abuse, exploitation and discrimination (Romero Ruiz). Th... more Women have traditionally been objects of abuse, exploitation and discrimination (Romero Ruiz). The patriarchal structure dominant in the Victorian period was so strong that women had to be submissive and respect their fathers’ and husbands’ authority, they had to be angels in the house; this was shown in the different cultural productions of that time. In Dracula (1897), Bram Stoker’s most outstanding work, only five female characters appear, and only one of them does not remain a lavish vampire in the end: the innocent Mina Murray. According to Senf, in contrast with traditional vampires, this character is presented as "the antithesis of these destructive creatures" (34); although she is initially shown as the New Woman, she is eventually domesticated and returns to the Victorian notion of womanhood (Moseley). My paper will focus on the transition from Victorian to Steampunk, as far as cultural productions, that is film and fiction, are concerned, using as examples both the Mina Murray depicted by Stoker and the Mina Harker introduced in Norrington’s production The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). Norrigton’s Mina meets the features of the New Woman that started to develop in the nineteenth century. She also has the knowledge about scientific and technological reinterpretations of the inventions from that period, adapted to the twenty-first century, which is a prominent characteristic of Neo-Victorian steampunk. Norrington’s character is shown as the New Woman she should have evolved into if she had not been domesticated by Van Helsing and her husband to embrace the Victorian values again by the end of Stoker’s work. Dracula and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen will be analyzed as metaphors for the real situation of women in Victorian and Steampunk societies in order to explore the change in gender stereotypes and values. Foucault’s ideas on deviancy and punishment of “the others” and Butler’s notions of gender and identity will be used in my analysis of sexual discrimination and exploitation in the Victorian and contemporary discourses. Although the innocent Miss Murray in Stoker’s production shows some attempts at switching to a more intellectual, “masculine” way of live, she does not succeed and has to return to the traditional values expected in a lady. However, the Mina Harker depicted in Norrington’s production proves to be not only a successful scientist, but also a strong woman that is accepted as a peer in a masculine group, gains their respect and is eventually treated as an equal.
Throughout history, there are several new movements which arise with variable strength. The steam... more Throughout history, there are several new movements which arise with variable strength. The steampunk movement seems to have arrived to stay. Proof of that is the number of productions appearing re-imagining the Victorian world and offering a new version of the nineteenth century in which the inventions of the Great Exhibition are nothing compared to the ones that could have appeared according to these productions. The introduction of these state-of-the-art elements frequently turns these apparently neo-Victorian scenarios into science fiction productions. In this paper, I will pay attention to some elements belonging either to our contemporary society or a not so far-off future but which have been introduced in a nineteenth-century setting. Within this community, women are depicted as inventors and adventurers who do not abide by the established rules anymore, no matter if they were born in the 1800s or the 2000s. Thus, I will explore the role of female characters in steampunk productions, which is clearly different to the depiction made of women from the late eighteenth century, that is, passive beings whose story is only relevant if, at the end of it, they engage or marry a rich, handsome man. I will focus mainly on one episode of the Doctor Who’s television series, “The Crimson Horror”. In this production, the Doctor goes back to a dystopic nineteenth century where Madame Vastra, her companion and lover, Jenny Flint, and the alien character Strax research on the causes of a mysterious plague that kills their victims as it turns their skin red. The relevance of this episode resides in that the protagonist of the series, the Doctor, lets some secondary female characters to take the leading role in the investigation. The leader of this peculiar group is Madam Vastra, a lizard-like humanoid born in prehistoric times; however, she considers herself as belonging to the Victorian period, as her human companion and partner, Jenny. In fact, her manners are those of any woman of the time belonging to higher classes. I will analyze this production from a cultural studies standpoint, paying particular attention to Judith Butler’s ideas on gender performativity (2004), Marie-Luise Kohlke and Christian Gutleben’s notions on Neo-Victorian Gothic (2012) and Rebecca Onion’s concepts on the relevance of using contemporary inventions to re-imagine an updated past (2008). Through this paper, I will show that, within steampunk, even when set in a Victorian era of science fiction, women do not necessarily occupy a secondary role in the action and their objectives are the same as in for any male character in this type of productions. They frequently become the investigators and real heroines of the story, a fact that varies incredibly from the female characters depicted in nineteenth-century productions, in which they are always the ones who need to be saved or guided by a male character.
The steampunk movement has undoubtedly reached almost every field in present-day societies. One o... more The steampunk movement has undoubtedly reached almost every field in present-day societies. One of the most recognisable elements of this movement is the extensive use of Victorian inventions to solve the different problems that may arise. Therefore, the heroine in Meg Kingston's Chrystal Heart (2013) can be considered a clear example of the relevance of these technologies by steampunks. Chrystal proves Victorian technologies to be essential to save the world. In this work, a vulnerable girl with deviant thoughts in Queen Victoria's Britain is attacked in the streets. A mysterious device saves Philomena Carstairs's life and bestows her with eternity she will put at the service of humanity. The newborn Chrystal will survive to our contemporary years to continue her existence as a new being. Although some of her beliefs share more features with present-day women than with her peers, Chrystal often seems stuck at some point of the nineteenth century. As other steampunks, she prefers using elements of the past for more humanitarian means. In my paper, Rosi Braidotti's ideas on the post-human and the ethics behind the use of technology (2013; 1996; 1994) will prove highly useful to understand my main thesis. Not only steampunk technologies help the members of this community to find relief from a world that changes at an astonishingly fast pace, but they can also be put at the service of the most in need. Moreover, the fact that she changes her name may parallel to the common practice among the members of this community of identifying with the character they are impersonating. Therefore, Chrystal can be argued to be the steampunk Philomena, having to adapt to the twenty-first century while using nineteenth-century technologies to save the world.
The relevance of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is such that many contemporary... more The relevance of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is such that many contemporary authors resort to it to adapt the most important works produced in those years. A clear example of this increasing interest in this period is the series Penny Dreadful (Logan 2014), which offers a more contemporary vision of some of the most recognisable characters in Victorian classics such as Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray or Mary Shelly’s doctor Frankenstein and his monster. Although the action takes place in the late 1800s, some of the features of the main characters, like their use of technology and their set beliefs, seem more appropriate of the twenty-first century. In this paper, I will analyse the transformation of Brona Croft into Lily Frankenstein and the many modifications that this brings to the personality and behaviour of this character in the series. For my analysis, Linda Hutcheon’s (2006) and Brian McFarlane’s (1996) ideas on the adaptation of literary works to productions of a different nature will prove highly useful. Moreover, given the change in gender performativity and power in the series, Judith Butler’s (2002) and Susan Kingsley Kent’s (2002) ideas on this issue also become relevant for my study. In this paper, I will prove that the character of Brona Croft portrays the Victorian stereotype of the deviant woman; however, once she transforms into Lily Frankenstein, she comes closer to the modern steampunk woman, sharing features such as strength and power with women of the new millenium.
With the arrival of new technologies, the population has gained easy access to cultural products ... more With the arrival of new technologies, the population has gained easy access to cultural products of almost any historical period. Curiously, one of the most significant years for our contemporaries seems to be the Victorian and Edwardian periods, giving rise to a whole group known as Neo-Victorians. Within this community, a sub-cultural movement, called steampunk, emerges. The members of this group introduce elements of that time in their daily life, manipulating new technologies to resemble inventions of the past. My paper will explore the visibility that this movement has gained thanks to films and novels produced in the twenty-first century and the new identities rising from consuming the elements of Victorian societies and the influence of this cultural products in present-day societies. In my analysis, I will use some works of the Victorian period, such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) and Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and the reinterpretations of their characters made in contemporary productions, such as the Mina Harker appearing in Stephen Norrington’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010) to show the relevance of Victorian culture within the steampunk movement. To bestow my arguments with an appropriate theoretical framework, I will make use of Butlerian notions about identity and Rosi Braidotti’s ideas on the posthuman and the influence of technology in contemporary societies. My main thesis is that the consumption of the ideas and stereotypes of the late decades of the nineteenth century and the first years of the twentieth have led to an increased visibility of their customs and stereotypical preconceptions in contemporary movements that feel attracted towards this particular historical period.
Chrystal seemed the typical nineteenth-century lady, passive and well-mannered; however, an act o... more Chrystal seemed the typical nineteenth-century lady, passive and well-mannered; however, an act of violence turns her into someone radically different, an active and powerful being not fully human. She heals both physically and spiritually, becoming a mature and strong woman, completely healed from that traumatic event and who will never be a victim again. Meg Kingston’s Chrystal Heart (2013) is a clear example of the new identities arising in twenty-first-century steampunk movement and some of its members’ main features, such as keeping Victorian manners, while showing some of the characteristics of contemporary women. This work not only explores gender stereotypes in Victorian England but also the features of the new steampunk woman of the twenty-first century, who has achieved to recover from the trauma of past times and has learnt to use the elements which were previously the source of discrimination in her advantage. Throughout my paper, I will deal with Judith Butler’s ideas on gender and identity as well as Michel Foucault’s notions of control. I will also make use of trauma studies to develop my statements. Similarly, I will make reference to the relationship between fashion and identity argued by Helene E. Roberts. Although the steampunk community looks back at the final years of the nineteenth century and the early ones of the twentieth, they maintain some of the values and ideas of current societies, being a reinterpreted and updated version of Victorian and Edwardian worlds.
Victorianomania. Reimagining, refashioning, and rewriting Victorian Literature and culture, 2015
Gender has historically been understood as two faces of the same coin, assigned according to biol... more Gender has historically been understood as two faces of the same coin, assigned according to biological sex and clearly distinguished by the features attributed to each of them. Therefore, they were expected to follow a certain set of rules which were different for each sex. However, gender is not considered in dual terms anymore. Critics like Judith Butler have proven that this duality does not fit the current identities that can be recognised. Cross-dressing, trans-gender and new femininities and masculinities blur this traditional division of gender. In fact, Butler considers these gendered identities as artificial constructs which are fully independent of biological sex and result from the cultural influence of social norms and ideas of a given period (23). Steampunk presents a dystopic, retrofuturistic world in which these blurred gendered identities are frequent. In fact, cross-dressing together with the externalization of inner identities by means of fashion and modding are common practices among the members of this community. Throughout my paper I will discuss the disappearance of these stereotypes and how it affects the world of steampunk, paying special attention to women within this group. As examples of my arguments I will address and contrast both Victorian and contemporary productions. Works belonging to the Victorian period will be contrasted with their steampunk re-interpretation, especially the character of Mina Harker in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) and Stephen Norrington's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). In my analysis, Butlerian ideas about gender and identity and Michel Foucault's notions about control and submission will also be highly relevant.
First impressions have always been said to be crucial in most situations. Traditionally, outfit i... more First impressions have always been said to be crucial in most situations. Traditionally, outfit is linked to one’s conception of the society one lives in. Some scholars, such as Roberts, argue that fashion was used in Victorian times as a means of control. Crinolines, crinolinettes and tight-lacing were elements of repression deriving from the social consideration of women as objects that must observe certain rules of behaviour; as Ellis states, a woman was expected “to suffer and be still” (Roberts 556). However, the introduction of new materials and new designs has given rise to a reinterpretation of this Victorian apparel. This reinvented female fashion has become a distinguishing mark of the Steampunk Neo-Victorian sub-culture, which recovers nineteenth-century female fashion and gives it a radically different meaning. My paper will focus on the transition from Victorian to Steampunk fashion and the new implications coming from the reinterpretation of the various elements used for feminine appearance. Several cultural productions of the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries will be used as examples of my main arguments, paying particular attention to the character of Mina Harker as represented in Stoker’s masterpiece Dracula (1897) and in Norrington’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). As the members of this community are increasing not only in Britain but worldwide, research on the different features of this movement become highly relevant for cultural studies. Fashion can be considered to be a good starting point for research on the topic of gender identities and new gender stereotypes within the steampunk trend. To provide my arguments with a relevant theoretical framework, I will make reference to several works by experts in the field of gender and cultural studies. Foucaultian notions about control over female bodies will also be relevant in my paper, as well as Butlerian ideas about the construction of gender identity. Given that steampunk is set in a retro-futuristic world, some of Braidotti’s notions about the post-human will be also discussed. My main thesis is that female steampunk fashion has developed to a point in which it is not just a reinterpretation of the Victorian past, but something totally new that has enabled the twenty-first-century woman to externalise her inner self and her true identity. For instance, Victorian tight-lacing has moved from being a means of patriarchal control to a way for women to show self-confidence and control over their own bodies. Moreover, cross-dressing has also become part of this sub-culture, being highly frequent in steampunk conventions and meetings.
Women have traditionally been objects of abuse, exploitation and discrimination (Romero Ruiz). Th... more Women have traditionally been objects of abuse, exploitation and discrimination (Romero Ruiz). The patriarchal structure dominant in the Victorian period was so strong that women had to be submissive and respect their fathers’ and husbands’ authority, they had to be angels in the house; this was shown in the different cultural productions of that time. In Dracula (1897), Bram Stoker’s most outstanding work, only five female characters appear, and only one of them does not remain a lavish vampire in the end: the innocent Mina Murray. According to Senf, in contrast with traditional vampires, this character is presented as "the antithesis of these destructive creatures" (34); although she is initially shown as the New Woman, she is eventually domesticated and returns to the Victorian notion of womanhood (Moseley). My paper will focus on the transition from Victorian to Steampunk, as far as cultural productions, that is film and fiction, are concerned, using as examples both the Mina Murray depicted by Stoker and the Mina Harker introduced in Norrington’s production The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). Norrigton’s Mina meets the features of the New Woman that started to develop in the nineteenth century. She also has the knowledge about scientific and technological reinterpretations of the inventions from that period, adapted to the twenty-first century, which is a prominent characteristic of Neo-Victorian steampunk. Norrington’s character is shown as the New Woman she should have evolved into if she had not been domesticated by Van Helsing and her husband to embrace the Victorian values again by the end of Stoker’s work. Dracula and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen will be analyzed as metaphors for the real situation of women in Victorian and Steampunk societies in order to explore the change in gender stereotypes and values. Foucault’s ideas on deviancy and punishment of “the others” and Butler’s notions of gender and identity will be used in my analysis of sexual discrimination and exploitation in the Victorian and contemporary discourses. Although the innocent Miss Murray in Stoker’s production shows some attempts at switching to a more intellectual, “masculine” way of live, she does not succeed and has to return to the traditional values expected in a lady. However, the Mina Harker depicted in Norrington’s production proves to be not only a successful scientist, but also a strong woman that is accepted as a peer in a masculine group, gains their respect and is eventually treated as an equal.
Throughout history, there are several new movements which arise with variable strength. The steam... more Throughout history, there are several new movements which arise with variable strength. The steampunk movement seems to have arrived to stay. Proof of that is the number of productions appearing re-imagining the Victorian world and offering a new version of the nineteenth century in which the inventions of the Great Exhibition are nothing compared to the ones that could have appeared according to these productions. The introduction of these state-of-the-art elements frequently turns these apparently neo-Victorian scenarios into science fiction productions. In this paper, I will pay attention to some elements belonging either to our contemporary society or a not so far-off future but which have been introduced in a nineteenth-century setting. Within this community, women are depicted as inventors and adventurers who do not abide by the established rules anymore, no matter if they were born in the 1800s or the 2000s. Thus, I will explore the role of female characters in steampunk productions, which is clearly different to the depiction made of women from the late eighteenth century, that is, passive beings whose story is only relevant if, at the end of it, they engage or marry a rich, handsome man. I will focus mainly on one episode of the Doctor Who’s television series, “The Crimson Horror”. In this production, the Doctor goes back to a dystopic nineteenth century where Madame Vastra, her companion and lover, Jenny Flint, and the alien character Strax research on the causes of a mysterious plague that kills their victims as it turns their skin red. The relevance of this episode resides in that the protagonist of the series, the Doctor, lets some secondary female characters to take the leading role in the investigation. The leader of this peculiar group is Madam Vastra, a lizard-like humanoid born in prehistoric times; however, she considers herself as belonging to the Victorian period, as her human companion and partner, Jenny. In fact, her manners are those of any woman of the time belonging to higher classes. I will analyze this production from a cultural studies standpoint, paying particular attention to Judith Butler’s ideas on gender performativity (2004), Marie-Luise Kohlke and Christian Gutleben’s notions on Neo-Victorian Gothic (2012) and Rebecca Onion’s concepts on the relevance of using contemporary inventions to re-imagine an updated past (2008). Through this paper, I will show that, within steampunk, even when set in a Victorian era of science fiction, women do not necessarily occupy a secondary role in the action and their objectives are the same as in for any male character in this type of productions. They frequently become the investigators and real heroines of the story, a fact that varies incredibly from the female characters depicted in nineteenth-century productions, in which they are always the ones who need to be saved or guided by a male character.
The steampunk movement has undoubtedly reached almost every field in present-day societies. One o... more The steampunk movement has undoubtedly reached almost every field in present-day societies. One of the most recognisable elements of this movement is the extensive use of Victorian inventions to solve the different problems that may arise. Therefore, the heroine in Meg Kingston's Chrystal Heart (2013) can be considered a clear example of the relevance of these technologies by steampunks. Chrystal proves Victorian technologies to be essential to save the world. In this work, a vulnerable girl with deviant thoughts in Queen Victoria's Britain is attacked in the streets. A mysterious device saves Philomena Carstairs's life and bestows her with eternity she will put at the service of humanity. The newborn Chrystal will survive to our contemporary years to continue her existence as a new being. Although some of her beliefs share more features with present-day women than with her peers, Chrystal often seems stuck at some point of the nineteenth century. As other steampunks, she prefers using elements of the past for more humanitarian means. In my paper, Rosi Braidotti's ideas on the post-human and the ethics behind the use of technology (2013; 1996; 1994) will prove highly useful to understand my main thesis. Not only steampunk technologies help the members of this community to find relief from a world that changes at an astonishingly fast pace, but they can also be put at the service of the most in need. Moreover, the fact that she changes her name may parallel to the common practice among the members of this community of identifying with the character they are impersonating. Therefore, Chrystal can be argued to be the steampunk Philomena, having to adapt to the twenty-first century while using nineteenth-century technologies to save the world.
The relevance of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is such that many contemporary... more The relevance of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is such that many contemporary authors resort to it to adapt the most important works produced in those years. A clear example of this increasing interest in this period is the series Penny Dreadful (Logan 2014), which offers a more contemporary vision of some of the most recognisable characters in Victorian classics such as Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray or Mary Shelly’s doctor Frankenstein and his monster. Although the action takes place in the late 1800s, some of the features of the main characters, like their use of technology and their set beliefs, seem more appropriate of the twenty-first century. In this paper, I will analyse the transformation of Brona Croft into Lily Frankenstein and the many modifications that this brings to the personality and behaviour of this character in the series. For my analysis, Linda Hutcheon’s (2006) and Brian McFarlane’s (1996) ideas on the adaptation of literary works to productions of a different nature will prove highly useful. Moreover, given the change in gender performativity and power in the series, Judith Butler’s (2002) and Susan Kingsley Kent’s (2002) ideas on this issue also become relevant for my study. In this paper, I will prove that the character of Brona Croft portrays the Victorian stereotype of the deviant woman; however, once she transforms into Lily Frankenstein, she comes closer to the modern steampunk woman, sharing features such as strength and power with women of the new millenium.
With the arrival of new technologies, the population has gained easy access to cultural products ... more With the arrival of new technologies, the population has gained easy access to cultural products of almost any historical period. Curiously, one of the most significant years for our contemporaries seems to be the Victorian and Edwardian periods, giving rise to a whole group known as Neo-Victorians. Within this community, a sub-cultural movement, called steampunk, emerges. The members of this group introduce elements of that time in their daily life, manipulating new technologies to resemble inventions of the past. My paper will explore the visibility that this movement has gained thanks to films and novels produced in the twenty-first century and the new identities rising from consuming the elements of Victorian societies and the influence of this cultural products in present-day societies. In my analysis, I will use some works of the Victorian period, such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) and Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and the reinterpretations of their characters made in contemporary productions, such as the Mina Harker appearing in Stephen Norrington’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010) to show the relevance of Victorian culture within the steampunk movement. To bestow my arguments with an appropriate theoretical framework, I will make use of Butlerian notions about identity and Rosi Braidotti’s ideas on the posthuman and the influence of technology in contemporary societies. My main thesis is that the consumption of the ideas and stereotypes of the late decades of the nineteenth century and the first years of the twentieth have led to an increased visibility of their customs and stereotypical preconceptions in contemporary movements that feel attracted towards this particular historical period.
Chrystal seemed the typical nineteenth-century lady, passive and well-mannered; however, an act o... more Chrystal seemed the typical nineteenth-century lady, passive and well-mannered; however, an act of violence turns her into someone radically different, an active and powerful being not fully human. She heals both physically and spiritually, becoming a mature and strong woman, completely healed from that traumatic event and who will never be a victim again. Meg Kingston’s Chrystal Heart (2013) is a clear example of the new identities arising in twenty-first-century steampunk movement and some of its members’ main features, such as keeping Victorian manners, while showing some of the characteristics of contemporary women. This work not only explores gender stereotypes in Victorian England but also the features of the new steampunk woman of the twenty-first century, who has achieved to recover from the trauma of past times and has learnt to use the elements which were previously the source of discrimination in her advantage. Throughout my paper, I will deal with Judith Butler’s ideas on gender and identity as well as Michel Foucault’s notions of control. I will also make use of trauma studies to develop my statements. Similarly, I will make reference to the relationship between fashion and identity argued by Helene E. Roberts. Although the steampunk community looks back at the final years of the nineteenth century and the early ones of the twentieth, they maintain some of the values and ideas of current societies, being a reinterpreted and updated version of Victorian and Edwardian worlds.
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Papers by Marta Alonso
My paper will focus on the transition from Victorian to Steampunk fashion and the new implications coming from the reinterpretation of the various elements used for feminine appearance. Several cultural productions of the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries will be used as examples of my main arguments, paying particular attention to the character of Mina Harker as represented in Stoker’s masterpiece Dracula (1897) and in Norrington’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). As the members of this community are increasing not only in Britain but worldwide, research on the different features of this movement become highly relevant for cultural studies. Fashion can be considered to be a good starting point for research on the topic of gender identities and new gender stereotypes within the steampunk trend.
To provide my arguments with a relevant theoretical framework, I will make reference to several works by experts in the field of gender and cultural studies. Foucaultian notions about control over female bodies will also be relevant in my paper, as well as Butlerian ideas about the construction of gender identity. Given that steampunk is set in a retro-futuristic world, some of Braidotti’s notions about the post-human will be also discussed.
My main thesis is that female steampunk fashion has developed to a point in which it is not just a reinterpretation of the Victorian past, but something totally new that has enabled the twenty-first-century woman to externalise her inner self and her true identity. For instance, Victorian tight-lacing has moved from being a means of patriarchal control to a way for women to show self-confidence and control over their own bodies. Moreover, cross-dressing has also become part of this sub-culture, being highly frequent in steampunk conventions and meetings.
My paper will focus on the transition from Victorian to Steampunk, as far as cultural productions, that is film and fiction, are concerned, using as examples both the Mina Murray depicted by Stoker and the Mina Harker introduced in Norrington’s production The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). Norrigton’s Mina meets the features of the New Woman that started to develop in the nineteenth century. She also has the knowledge about scientific and technological reinterpretations of the inventions from that period, adapted to the twenty-first century, which is a prominent characteristic of Neo-Victorian steampunk. Norrington’s character is shown as the New Woman she should have evolved into if she had not been domesticated by Van Helsing and her husband to embrace the Victorian values again by the end of Stoker’s work.
Dracula and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen will be analyzed as metaphors for the real situation of women in Victorian and Steampunk societies in order to explore the change in gender stereotypes and values. Foucault’s ideas on deviancy and punishment of “the others” and Butler’s notions of gender and identity will be used in my analysis of sexual discrimination and exploitation in the Victorian and contemporary discourses. Although the innocent Miss Murray in Stoker’s production shows some attempts at switching to a more
intellectual, “masculine” way of live, she does not succeed and has to return to the traditional values expected in a lady. However, the Mina Harker depicted in Norrington’s production proves to be not only a successful scientist, but also a strong woman that is accepted as a peer in a masculine group, gains their respect and is eventually treated as an equal.
Conference Presentations by Marta Alonso
My paper will focus on the transition from Victorian to Steampunk fashion and the new implications coming from the reinterpretation of the various elements used for feminine appearance. Several cultural productions of the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries will be used as examples of my main arguments, paying particular attention to the character of Mina Harker as represented in Stoker’s masterpiece Dracula (1897) and in Norrington’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). As the members of this community are increasing not only in Britain but worldwide, research on the different features of this movement become highly relevant for cultural studies. Fashion can be considered to be a good starting point for research on the topic of gender identities and new gender stereotypes within the steampunk trend.
To provide my arguments with a relevant theoretical framework, I will make reference to several works by experts in the field of gender and cultural studies. Foucaultian notions about control over female bodies will also be relevant in my paper, as well as Butlerian ideas about the construction of gender identity. Given that steampunk is set in a retro-futuristic world, some of Braidotti’s notions about the post-human will be also discussed.
My main thesis is that female steampunk fashion has developed to a point in which it is not just a reinterpretation of the Victorian past, but something totally new that has enabled the twenty-first-century woman to externalise her inner self and her true identity. For instance, Victorian tight-lacing has moved from being a means of patriarchal control to a way for women to show self-confidence and control over their own bodies. Moreover, cross-dressing has also become part of this sub-culture, being highly frequent in steampunk conventions and meetings.
My paper will focus on the transition from Victorian to Steampunk, as far as cultural productions, that is film and fiction, are concerned, using as examples both the Mina Murray depicted by Stoker and the Mina Harker introduced in Norrington’s production The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). Norrigton’s Mina meets the features of the New Woman that started to develop in the nineteenth century. She also has the knowledge about scientific and technological reinterpretations of the inventions from that period, adapted to the twenty-first century, which is a prominent characteristic of Neo-Victorian steampunk. Norrington’s character is shown as the New Woman she should have evolved into if she had not been domesticated by Van Helsing and her husband to embrace the Victorian values again by the end of Stoker’s work.
Dracula and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen will be analyzed as metaphors for the real situation of women in Victorian and Steampunk societies in order to explore the change in gender stereotypes and values. Foucault’s ideas on deviancy and punishment of “the others” and Butler’s notions of gender and identity will be used in my analysis of sexual discrimination and exploitation in the Victorian and contemporary discourses. Although the innocent Miss Murray in Stoker’s production shows some attempts at switching to a more
intellectual, “masculine” way of live, she does not succeed and has to return to the traditional values expected in a lady. However, the Mina Harker depicted in Norrington’s production proves to be not only a successful scientist, but also a strong woman that is accepted as a peer in a masculine group, gains their respect and is eventually treated as an equal.