A cliché or cliche (UK /ˈkliːʃeɪ/ or US /klɪˈʃeɪ/) is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning, referring to any expression imposed by conventionalized linguistic usage. The term is frequently used in modern culture for an action or idea which is expected or predictable, based on a prior event. Typically a pejorative, "clichés" are not always false or inaccurate; a cliché may or may not be true.[1] Some are stereotypes, but some are simply truisms and facts.[2] Clichés are often employed for comic effect, typically in fiction. Most phrases now considered clichéd were originally regarded as striking, but lost their force through overuse.[3] In this connection, David Mason and John Frederick Nims cite a particularly harsh judgement by Salvador Dalí: "The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot."[4] Ironically, in making this statement, Dalí was appropriating the words of French poet Gérard de Nerval: "The first man who compared woman to a rose was a poet, the second, an imbecile."[5]
Read more (and see the references)...
What about cliches in playwriting?
Advanced Playwriting: Things to Avoid -- powered by ehow
But how do I know if something is a cliche?
There is a clear exception, though : dialogue.
There are plenty of cliches in real life speech so if they're included in a character's dialogue then this can add authenticity or help to characterise.
You may well read cliches in reviews:
"There are plenty of theatre review clichés that give me the willies. Referring to anything other than an immersive cage-fighting play as “physically painful” renders my buttocks “physically clenched,” and I find describing anyone other than Les Enfants Terribles as “theatre’s enfants terribles” a bit bleurgh. James T Harding points out that, “Anything about losing or gaining a star for a specific reason always makes the reviewer sound petty,” while our very own Will Davies rails against the old “as relevant today as it was when it was first staged” trope. Finally, and most familiarly, actor and drama teacher John Carter says simply, “I hate ‘tread the boards’”.
Source....
In the case of the three forthcoming plays:
7.30pm on Tues 20th, Wed 21st and Thurs 22nd November 2012.
At The Dogstar,389 Coldharbour Lane , London , SW9 8LQ
But how do I know if something is a cliche?
There is a clear exception, though : dialogue.
There are plenty of cliches in real life speech so if they're included in a character's dialogue then this can add authenticity or help to characterise.
You may well read cliches in reviews:
"There are plenty of theatre review clichés that give me the willies. Referring to anything other than an immersive cage-fighting play as “physically painful” renders my buttocks “physically clenched,” and I find describing anyone other than Les Enfants Terribles as “theatre’s enfants terribles” a bit bleurgh. James T Harding points out that, “Anything about losing or gaining a star for a specific reason always makes the reviewer sound petty,” while our very own Will Davies rails against the old “as relevant today as it was when it was first staged” trope. Finally, and most familiarly, actor and drama teacher John Carter says simply, “I hate ‘tread the boards’”.
Source....
In the case of the three forthcoming plays:
7.30pm on Tues 20th, Wed 21st and Thurs 22nd November 2012.
At The Dogstar,
(Nearest tube: Brixton).
if you do hear any cliches then they have deliberately been included to add authenticity.
No comments:
Post a Comment