Quit acting like a punk

When assigned to read steampunk, is there any better option than to go straight to the source of it's origins? Once again, I introduce you to my good friend Jules Verne. Verne, is one of France's most famous authors. His works were comprised of high adventure and scientific wonderment. Thought not always 100% accurate, these works had enough research and credibility to make the layman ponder as to wether or not these were scientific journals and not works of fiction.
With no shame, perhaps my absolute favorite work by Verne is 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The novel portrays a world where a full submersible craft has finally been crafted. Submarines were not altogether new to the 19th century but a entire vessel on the scale of the Nautilus was something unimaginable back then. It is through this craft that we are immersed within the high adventure.
The story is not all fun and games however. The Nautilus was not built as a way to go about and find cool stuff to do, but is indeed a weapon. Nemo is it's captain and creator. He is a man as enigmatic as his mechanical marvel but much more complex in his mechanics. In the late 19th century, war was still an undesirable reality. Weapons were a profit.
Verne's response was Nemo and his deadly submarine. Nemo manufactured the craft to destroy warships. It is a very backwards "peace ensured through violence" ideal that drives the captain. His attitudes would not be entirely out of place in today's society where nations are once more on the brink of war.
Fantasy and Scifi have always been responses to the world around us. In this case, rather than escapism, the bitter truth is always present in the waters of our mind not unlike the Nautilus silently gliding through the waters waiting for it's moment to strike.