History Main / PurelyAestheticEra

* ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'': with Rosencrantz constantly inventing aspects of modern life, such as the hamburger, the theory of gravity, or those swinging beads that businessmen put on their desks.

However, sometimes, [[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality telling a story]] ([[RuleOfFunny or just being funny]]) is more important than being historically accurate. So while a story may theoretically be set in, say, [[WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove ancient Peru]], you'll find [[GreasySpoon truck stops]], [[HumiliationConga people slipping on over-waxed floors]], {{Lawyer Friendly|Cameo}} [[ScoutOut Boy Scouts]], [[ForeignLookingFont period-appropriate signage]], and who knows what else. A bit like PresentDayPast, only applied to the whole of history-- liberally and without remorse for all those [[ArtisticLicenseHistory poor history majors.]] While an AnachronismStew can be pretty subtle if you don't pay attention in history class-- "Hey! They didn't [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean call it the Caribbean]] during the 1600s!"-- a Purely Aesthetic Era is ''blatant'' and intentional. It may be {{Hand Wave}}d with an AlternateHistory, but most folks don't even try to explain it.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' has the anachronisms more as [[RuleOfFunny one-off jokes]], but they are still there: One character laments in a song, "Boy, was I a fool in school for cutting gym!" The Absurdity is not that education would include gymnastics, but that a simple peasant turned soldier would've gone to school.[[note]]Then again, we don't know Ling ''was'' a peasant. ''Every'' family had to send a man, even the well-off ones, so he could be upper class. In fact he probably ''is'', since he certainly doesn't look like he's done much physical work.[[/note]]

* ''Franchise/TheMuppets Present the Classics: Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' is, like the original, set in 19th century Paris. Characters have cellphones, Janice is full-on hippie, one opera-goer wants to see ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' (and is, admittedly told he's two centuries too early) and Uncle Deadly/the Phantom's backstory involves him acquiring his English accent during a stay in the UK, before moving to Paris because of ''Brexit''.

However, sometimes, [[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality telling a story]] ([[RuleOfFunny or just being funny]]) is more important than being historically accurate. So while a story may theoretically be set in, say, [[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove ancient Peru]], you'll find [[GreasySpoon truck stops]], [[HumiliationConga people slipping on over-waxed floors]], {{Lawyer Friendly|Cameo}} [[ScoutOut Boy Scouts]], [[ForeignLookingFont period-appropriate signage]], and who knows what else. A bit like PresentDayPast, only applied to the whole of history-- liberally and without remorse for all those [[ArtisticLicenseHistory poor history majors.]] While an AnachronismStew can be pretty subtle if you don't pay attention in history class-- "Hey! They didn't [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean call it the Caribbean]] during the 1600s!"-- a Purely Aesthetic Era is ''blatant'' and intentional. It may be {{Hand Wave}}d with an AlternateHistory, but most folks don't even try to explain it.

** Disney's ''Disney/{{Hercules}}'' has Hercules action figures[[note]]In this case, RealityIsUnrealistic, as Historians have found action figures of gladiators at dig sites[[/note]] and soft drinks for sale, promoting the eponymous hero. Not to mention a credit card...
** ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' goes crazy with this one. It's allegedly set in a fictional, Inca-like Peruvian empire, but it makes no attempt to stay true to this. At one point, the producers themselves even admitted, "What the heck -- we've broken every other historical rule; let's [[GreasySpoon throw in a truck stop]]."
** ''Disney/{{Mulan}}'' has the anachronisms more as [[RuleOfFunny one-off jokes]], but they are still there: One character laments in a song, "Boy, was I a fool in school for cutting gym!" The Absurdity is not that education would include gymnastics, but that a simple peasant turned soldier would've gone to school.[[note]]Then again, we don't know Ling ''was'' a peasant. ''Every'' family had to send a man, even the well-off ones, so he could be upper class. In fact he probably ''is'', since he certainly doesn't look like he's done much physical work.[[/note]]

* ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian'' is theoretically set in Europe in the Middle Ages. That doesn't stop the heroes from dropping by the local ''Great Indoor Marketplace'', though, or making musicals about donuts. It was lampshaded once when Dave asked Candy where the (clothes) dryer is, and she responded that dryers ''haven't been invented yet''. Then she says to just use her hair-dryer, which of course is of a generic modern appearance and appears to have a power cable. There was also the time when Dave invented a megaphone out of a squirrel, rope, and... a megaphone. One episode has a comedian, while bombing on stage, tap the microphone and ask "Has this thing been invented yet?" instead of "Is this thing on?"

However, sometimes, [[TheoryOfNarrativeCasuality telling a story]] ([[RuleOfFunny or just being funny]]) is more important than being historically accurate. So while a story may theoretically be set in, say, [[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove ancient Peru]], you'll find [[GreasySpoon truck stops]], [[HumiliationConga people slipping on over-waxed floors]], {{Lawyer Friendly|Cameo}} [[ScoutOut Boy Scouts]], [[ForeignLookingFont period-appropriate signage]], and who knows what else. A bit like PresentDayPast, only applied to the whole of history-- liberally and without remorse for all those [[ArtisticLicenseHistory poor history majors.]] While an AnachronismStew can be pretty subtle if you don't pay attention in history class-- "Hey! They didn't [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean call it the Caribbean]] during the 1600s!"-- a Purely Aesthetic Era is ''blatant'' and intentional. It may be {{Hand Wave}}d with an AlternateHistory, but most folks don't even try to explain it.

However, sometimes, telling a story (or being [[RuleOfFunny funny]]) is more important than being historically accurate. So while a story may theoretically be set in, say, [[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove ancient Peru]], you'll find [[GreasySpoon truck stops]], [[HumiliationConga people slipping on over-waxed floors]], {{Lawyer Friendly|Cameo}} [[ScoutOut Boy Scouts]], [[ForeignLookingFont period-appropriate signage]], and who knows what else. A bit like PresentDayPast, only applied to the whole of history-- liberally and without remorse for all those [[ArtisticLicenseHistory poor history majors.]] While an AnachronismStew can be pretty subtle if you don't pay attention in history class-- "Hey! They didn't [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean call it the Caribbean]] during the 1600s!"-- a Purely Aesthetic Era is ''blatant'' and intentional. It may be {{Hand Wave}}d with an AlternateHistory, but most folks don't even try to explain it.

* The Peabody's Improbable History segments of ''WesternAnimation/TheRockyAndBullwinkleShow''.

* ComicBook/{{Asterix}}. The series is less AnachronismStew than an Anachronism ''Steak''. The comics largely use Roman-era cultures with modern day cultural stereotypes, characters have [[PunnyName names]] like Fulliautomatix (a blacksmith) and Timandahaf (a viking chieftain) and there are 1st-century equivalents of modern day things, including sports chariots, text-messenger pigeons, [[HonestJohnsDealership dishonest chariot salesmen]] and mail wagons with the [[http://laposte.fr/ La Poste]] logo. Oddly enough combined with ShownTheirWork, as the artists are usually making up a modern connection half the time and accurately depicting something modern that [[OlderThanTheyThink actually existed at the time]] for the other half.

* ComicBook/{{Asterix}}. The series is less AnachronismStew than an Anachronism ''Steak''. The comics largely use Roman-era cultures with modern day cultural stereotypes, characters have [[PunnyName names]] like Fulliautomatix (a blacksmith) and Timandahaf (a viking chieftain) and there are 1st-century equivalents of modern day things, including sports chariots and text-messenger pigeons. Oddly enough combined with ShownTheirWork, as the artists are usually making up a modern connection half the time and accurately depicting something modern that [[OlderThanTheyThink actually existed at the time]] for the other half.

* ''WorldOfWarcraft'': Judging just the human kingdoms, most of them are clearly based on medieval Europe. Except Gilneas, which somehow jumped forward 700 years into the Victorian era.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ComicBook/{{Asterix}}. The series is less AnachronismStew than an Anachronism *Steak*. The comics largely use Roman-era cultures with modern day cultural stereotypes, characters have [[PunnyName names]] like Fulliautomatix (a blacksmith) and Timandahaf (a viking chieftain) and there are 1st-century equivalents of modern day things, including sports chariots and text-messenger pigeons. Oddly enough combined with ShownTheirWork, as the artists are usually making up a modern connection half the time and accurately depicting something modern that [[OlderThanTheyThink actually existed at the time]] for the other half.

* Most of the comedy in ''Podcast/ChapoTrapHouse'''s ''TabletopGames/CallOfCthulhu'' campaign is based around the absurdity of the 2016 US political situation being translated to the LovecraftCountry 1920s, poorly. This includes the protagonists running a far-right (as opposed to far-left) ''radio show'' called "Capone Speakeasy", one of the player characters being a '[[Music/{{Eminem}} white spoken-word jazz musician]]', references to [[Website/{{Twitter}} telegram]] comedians, and the storyline being a WholePlotReference to the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.
* Because the first arc of ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' was a (loose) adaptation of the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' module ''The Lost Mines of Fandelver'', it was set in the ostensibly medieval realm of Neverwinter (although the heroes make some references to modern items, like Taako's quest to make tacos and Merle's fondness of Music/KennyChesney, and there's a character named [[AerithAndBob Barry Bluejeans]]). This ''extremely'' quickly goes off the rails; the first intermediary arc is set on a flying Moon base and features a "fantasy Costco", the second arc is set entirely on a train and features a town entirely populated by Tom Bodett, the third arc is set in a fairly modern city and revolves around underground ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious''-style racing, the fourth arc is set on a ''different'' flying base, puts the heroes in spacesuits for the whole thing, and features a whole museum about elevators after [[GameMaster Griffin]] was [[TakeThatAudience criticized for putting them in the last arc]], and so on. By the end, it's closer to DungeonPunk and {{Magitek}} than any actual medieval setting. [[spoiler:Although the heroes' anachronistic references throughout the series could be due to the fact that they're actually from an entirely different plane and traveled to Neverwinter via a spaceship.]]

* "The Knight's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's ''Literature/TheCanterburyTales''. It's allegedly set in AncientGreece, but the culture displayed is clearly that of [[TheMiddleAges medieval western Europe]]. (E.g., [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Theseus]] appears in the role of a feudal lord.)

* ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' sometimes uses its AlternateUniverse Meiji setting as an excuse for this. Before you knew it, the story took place in a JidaiGeki-flavored present rather than the other way around.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stansvessels.png]]]]

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/monkey_island_stans.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Age of Sail-era vending machine, owned by a used boat salesman. Just wait until you get to the amusement park!]]

* ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' sometimes uses its AlternateUniverse Meiji setting as an excuse for this. Before you knew it, the story took place in a JidaiGeki flavored present rather than the other way around.