Facts written like fiction presents:
The truth about clichés
“It is a cliche that most
cliches are true, but then like most cliches, that cliche is untrue.”
-Stephen Fry
Over the course of
history, there have been many well established influences that have appeared,
especially in regards to the creative arts. Clichés being a famously known
example of this. It applies to a lot of the creative fields, stretching from
film and theatre to art but is very much embedded in literature, in creative
writing to be exact. For writers, it is one of the many aspect of creative
writing we gain knowledge of but sometimes I wonder, if clichés were a living
being and a film or a written piece was made about it, would it be considered a
hero or villain in regards to its relationship with writers and its importance
within creative writing.
What is the term cliché? And how can you tell
what is cliché? Well clichés in way, has its own unchanging, unique and
familiar mark. The dictionary definition of it, stated it as “a very predictable or unoriginal
thing or person.” Clichés can be a tired phrase like “thinking outside the box”
or “the pot calling the kettle black”, it can be an idea like “the good
superhero defeats the evil villain” or “the damsel in distress is rescued by
her knight in shining armour and they live happily ever after” or even a trope
that loses its impact and meaning through repeated use. Therefore in most cases
if a cliché is spotted, it’s quickly associated with lazy writing because as
soon as we identify this trait, the rest of the works becomes predictable and
tasteless. I guess this would make clichés a villains since the definition of
the term isn’t encouraging but could this be said to be a fair assessment of
clichés?
What
about the relationship/partnership between the writer and the uses of clichés?
Literature can be said to be the making of it and because of its unchanging
nature, the writer can eventually take on a familiar trademark of their own;
for example, if you were to pick up a book with a blank cover over it, and as
you read it, you begin to see that the story is set in Maine and has a
struggling alcoholic as its protagonist, you may soon realise it’s to be a
Stephen King novel, simply because it is a style/ theme that is seen repeatedly
in some of his works. More than anything, clichés are a tool that can be used
to compliment rather than spoil. When a character archetype is overused to the
point of becoming a cliché then it seizes to simply be a personality type as it
turns into a cliché, potentially adding another layer of significance to the
character. It can draw attention and emphasis to the character and make a
simple action have a double meaning. Therefore the place setting in Stephen
Kings’ novel, Maine could stops being this quiet, normal American state where
something strange happens and starts becoming this twilight zone where the
supernatural is simply expected. In this sense cliché would then be considered
as the hero, seen as its simplicity can provide an easier and shorter
expressive tool for the writer but does it really work like that?
The
reason clichés work is partly because of our sense of familiarity and
association but if it’s repeated too often, it becomes increasingly difficult
to suspend disbelief and immerse ourselves in a story because we are simply
expecting the unexpected. In conclusion clichés hold a very important part in creative
writing as an expressive tool and their relationship with writers is a complex
and delicate one, like a double edged sword or unfair lover (see what I did
there ^_^). They could either add to the making of a piece or completely
destroy it but the outcome of this, I think depends on the way the writer
skilfully handles it. And if it was a living being, despite its seamlessly
unchanging appearance, clichés could be just as complex as the rest of us,
being both the villain and hero at times.
“The reason that clichés become clichés is that they
are the hammers and screwdrivers in the toolbox of communication.”
― Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
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