About: High-Class Glass   Sponge Permalink

An Entity of Type : owl:Thing, within Data Space : 134.155.108.49:8890 associated with source dataset(s)

Want to give your character a prop that sets him as high as possible in the social strata? Give him a tophat and a monocle. Largely obsolete today, the monocle is a corrective lens applied to only one eye. In this sense it is no different from eyeglasses. But while eyeglasses have never been anything more than a medical appliance (with the possible exception of the pince-nez), the monocle has been a status symbol virtually since its invention. A trope largely as obsolete as the monocle itself, it still turns up in period pieces and parodies, and is gaining popularity in the Steampunk scene.

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  • High-Class Glass
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  • Want to give your character a prop that sets him as high as possible in the social strata? Give him a tophat and a monocle. Largely obsolete today, the monocle is a corrective lens applied to only one eye. In this sense it is no different from eyeglasses. But while eyeglasses have never been anything more than a medical appliance (with the possible exception of the pince-nez), the monocle has been a status symbol virtually since its invention. A trope largely as obsolete as the monocle itself, it still turns up in period pieces and parodies, and is gaining popularity in the Steampunk scene.
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dbkwik:all-the-tro...iPageUsesTemplate
dbkwik:allthetrope...iPageUsesTemplate
abstract
  • Want to give your character a prop that sets him as high as possible in the social strata? Give him a tophat and a monocle. Largely obsolete today, the monocle is a corrective lens applied to only one eye. In this sense it is no different from eyeglasses. But while eyeglasses have never been anything more than a medical appliance (with the possible exception of the pince-nez), the monocle has been a status symbol virtually since its invention. They are never seen on the faces of the working class. Instead, they are the exclusive province of titled nobility, high ranking military officers, upper-echelon businessmen, academics, etc. They are also exclusively worn by men -- though lesbians in the early 20th century sometimes used them for a subtly masculine edge. Monocles were available to the lower classes, but proper manufacture and fitting made them very expensive. Cheaper versions were of poor quality and very uncomfortable to wear. In media, the monocle's wearer will constantly clean it and fidget with it. It will be whipped out and squinted through when the wearer views something below his social station. In comedies, a monocle will pop off its wearer's face and/or shatter in shocked response to the working class hero giving this pompous toady his well-deserved comeuppance. The monocle is also a popular graffito to draw on a sleeping person's face. A trope largely as obsolete as the monocle itself, it still turns up in period pieces and parodies, and is gaining popularity in the Steampunk scene. The female version is the lorgnette, which is a pair of spectacles on a small stick to be held up when you want to look at something. It is a common property of the Grande Dame. Given its association with wealth and status, it's a very popular prop for the Mock Millionaire. Today, putting a monocle and top hat on anything is sure to get a laugh just out of the pure absurdity.. Sub-trope of Stock Costume Traits. Examples of High-Class Glass include:
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