# data[].attributes.body
The main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Plot in Literature Types Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is plot? Learn the definition and typical structure of a plot, explore plot examples in literature and film, and understand the different...

# data[].attributes.body
It is the background information on the characters and setting explained at the beginning of the story.

# data[].attributes.body
The rising action pushes the plot along, building tension to keep us invested in the story as it moves forward.

# data[].attributes.body
This is the turning point of the story. Usually the main character comes face to face with a conflict. Outcome of the conflict is decided. The main character will change in some way.

# data[].attributes.body
This portion of the narrative helps deflate the plot's tension and gives the character time to unwind after the emotional scene.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Wednesday Wars Activities _ Gary D_ Schmidt

# data[].attributes.body
It is when you learn what happens to the characters after the CONFLICT is resolved.

# data[].attributes.body
the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place.

# data[].attributes.body
The protagonist works toward the central story goals, while the antagonist works against the goals

# data[].attributes.body
A conflict is a literary device characterized by a struggle between two opposing forces. Conflict provides crucial tension in any story and is used to drive the narrative forward.

# data[].attributes.body
when a character struggles with their own opposing desires or beliefs. It happens within them, and it drives their development as a character.

# data[].attributes.body
External Conflict--sets a character against something or someone beyond their control.
Man vs Man--Conflict that pits one person against another is about as classic as a story can get
Man vs Society--The person-against-society conflict follows the storyline of an individual or a group fighting against injustices within their society.
Man vs Nature--humankind comes up against nature, battling for survival against its inexorable and apathetic force.
Man vs Tech-- conflict focuses on a person or group of people fighting to overcome unemotional and unsympathetic machinery that believes it no longer requires humanity.

# data[].attributes.body
The main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work.

# data[].attributes.body
choice of words, especially with regard to correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.

# data[].attributes.body
the set of rules that determines the arrangement of words in a sentence.

# data[].attributes.body
DENOTATION: The direct definition of the word that you find in the dictionary. CONNOTATION: The emotional suggestions of a word, that is not literal.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
DENOTATIONS & CONNOTATIONS | English Lesson

# data[].attributes.body
Tone reflects the author's attitude toward the subject.

# data[].attributes.body
mood refers to the emotional response that the writer wishes to evoke in the reader through a story.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Peepo Cry Sticker - Peepo Cry Drink - Discover & Share GIFs

# data[].attributes.body
an author can take the reader out of the present story and jump into an earlier time period in a character's life.

# data[].attributes.body
A narrative device in which suggestions or warnings about events to come are dropped or planted.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Foreshadowing | Definition & Examples of Foreshadowing

# data[].attributes.body
Component of literary style in both prose and poetry, in which coordinate ideas are arranged in phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that balance one element with another of equal importance and similar wording.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Please double-check the URL and try again. If this problem persists, you can contact our customer support team.

# data[].attributes.body
the vantage point from which a story is presented.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
OSU School of Writing, Literature and Film

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"What is Point of View?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

# data[].attributes.body
a narrator is a person in the story, telling the story from their own point of view.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Photographer Timur Zhansultanov Shoots Creative Point-of-View Photos of His Life

# data[].attributes.body
The narrator describes the reader's actions, thoughts, and background using "you." It's all about how you look at it.

# data[].attributes.body
The narrator describes everything without describing the character thoughts and feeling.

# data[].attributes.body
narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of a single character, while other characters are presented only externally

# data[].attributes.body
The narrator knows everything. He/she even knows all the character's thoughts.

# data[].attributes.body
irony occurs in literature AND in life whenever a person says something or does something that departs from what they (or we) expect them to say or do.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
OSU School of Writing, Literature and Film

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"What is Irony?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

# data[].attributes.body
when a speaker says something the opposite or that contrast with, what they really mean

# data[].attributes.body
the irony of something happening that is very different to what was expected.

# data[].attributes.body
the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

# data[].attributes.body
a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid

# data[].attributes.body
A metaphor is a literary device that figuratively compares and equates two things that are not alike. An extended metaphor is a version of metaphor that extends over the course of multiple lines, paragraphs, or stanzas of prose or poetry

# data[].attributes.body
a poetic literary device in which non-living things are given human traits

# data[].attributes.body
a figure of speech that is an intentional exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect.

# data[].attributes.body
Symbols can give words double meanings, both literal and figurative, and writers can say more with less.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
OSU School of Writing, Literature and Film

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"What is Symbolism?": A Literary Guide for English Teachers and Students

# data[].attributes.body
rhetorical term that describes words or phrases that, when placed together, create paradoxes or contradictions.

# data[].attributes.body
the substitution of a less offensive or agreeable expression for an expression that may offend or suggest something unpleasant

# data[].attributes.body
brief but purposeful references, within a literary text, to a person, place, event, or to another work of literature.

# data[].attributes.body
The repetition of similar vowels

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is assonance? 🤔 | Assonance in English | Learn with examples

# data[].attributes.body
repetition of the same sound at the start of a series of words in succession whose purpose is to provide an audible pulse that gives a piece of writing a lulling, lyrical, and/or emotive effect.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Oregon State University - School of Writing, Literature and Film

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"What is Alliteration?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

# data[].attributes.body
a saying, image, or idea which has been used so much that it sounds terribly uncreative.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A cliché (pronounced 'klee-SHAY') is a saying, image, or idea which has been used so much that it sounds terribly uncreative. The word "cliché" was originally French for the sound of a printing plate, which prints the same thing over and over. Using clichés is considered bad writing and speaking because they make it sound like you didn't put any thought into your words. Good writers and speakers try to use thoughtful and original language rather than clichés in their work. Synonyms for cliché include platitudes and banalities.

II. Examples of Cliché

Because clichés are, by definition, common and overused, they can be found frequently but you may not notice them because we take them for granted. Here are a few examples:

This image of a cloud starts with a common cliché:
Every cloud has a silver lining
Which means that even in a bad situation, you can usually find something good.

The rest of the cloud is made of other popular clichés:

"Diamond in the rough": something or somebody with a lot of potential.

"Going bananas!": going crazy.

"Easy as pie": very easy.

"Cold as ice": very cold or not friendly.

"Take a chill pill": to relax.

"Don't judge a book by its cover": don't judge something based on its appearance.

"Driving me crazy!": annoying somebody to the point of almost insanity.

"Kid in a candy store": feeling happy about the things that surround you.

"Light as a feather": very very light.

"Happily ever after": the ending of all fairy tale romances, this is a typical ending where everybody is happy for the rest of their lives.

"When pigs fly!": something that is very unlikely to happen.

To describe falling in love:
She fell head over heels.
Another common characteristic of clichés is that they tend to simplify and dramatize. Rather than admitting that a story may not always have happiness or explaining that serious love takes time to develop, these clichés make the writing seem shallow and therefore un-interesting.

Clichés are sometimes ideas, images, or characters, rather than phrases. Here are a few examples of cliché characters:

"The Damsel in Distress": a young attractive woman who is incompetent and in need of someone else to rescue her.

"The Superhero": the man who saves the Damsel in Distress, often incredibly strong and good looking!

"Brooding Bad Boy": the boy from 'the other side of the tracks,' who needs someone caring to lead him to a better life.

"The Good Girl": the girl who saves the Brooding Bad Boy with her kindness and good heart.

III. The Importance of Cliché

Clichés are important because they express ideas and thoughts that are widespread and common within a culture, hence the phrase "cliché but true." Yet in our culture, we tend to dislike clichés because we place a high value on creativity, originality, and cleverness, rather than on repetition and using other people's words. Not all cultures feel this way though; in China, it is considered good to use clichés because Chinese culture places a higher value on tradition and looks down on individuality. But even in our culture, clichés are still very common in popular books, poems, movies, television shows, speeches, and advertisements.

IV. Examples of Clichés in Literature

It is important to remember that every cliché was once original and became overused only because it was such a popular idea at first. So, many clichés come from classic works.

Many clichés have their origins in classics like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet:
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
This cliché is from Juliet's speech in which she claims that it does not matter that Romeo comes from her family's enemy house, the Montague. Like many Shakespeare quotes, this phrase was so creative when Shakespeare wrote it, that now other people have overused it-to mean that the names of things are not important compared to their qualities.
Forever and a day
This cliché is also derived from Shakespeare, as it first appeared in The Taming of the Shrew. Countless clichés were coined by Shakespeare, including:

All that glitters is not gold - (The Merchant of Venice)"

Jealousy is the green-eyed monster - (Othello)"

Melted into thin air - (The Tempest)

And many more. It is a compliment for a writer's work to become a cliché, but it is an insult to be accused of writing something cliché.

V. Examples of Cliché in Pop Culture

Although clichés should usually be avoided, they can be used for comedic effect or in works where originality and deep thought are not expected such as television shows, advertisements, and movies like romantic comedies and superhero blockbusters.

Conversely, the Old Spice commercials become funny by using the cliché of the perfect man, one often used in men's commercials:

Hello, ladies.
Look at your man.
Now back to me. Now back at your man. Now back to me.
Sadly, he isn't me.
But if he stopped using lady scented body wash...
...and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he's me.
Look down. Back up. Where are you?
You're on a boat with the man your man could smell like.
What's in your hand? Back at me.
I have it.
It's an oyster with two tickets to that thing you love.
Look again. The tickets are now diamonds.
Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady.
I'm on a horse.

And clichés are still alive and well in popular movies ("alive and well" is a cliché!). Consider the movie The Last Song:

" It is a story of second chances, first loves, and the moments in life that lead us back home. "

This movie is complete with the brooding teenage daughter, the father figure looking for a second chance, and the rambunctious younger brother, who is there just to provide comic relief. These are all clichés.
This movie may be cliché, but many people still enjoy it. For this reason, cliché is a matter of taste; critics may not like clichés, but they can still be part of enjoyable entertainment.

VI. Related Terms

Cliché vs. Archetype

An archetype is an image or character which is used over and over in literature and art and may not seem cliché because it represents a universal truth about life or a universal aspect of human psychology. The line between an archetype and a cliché is thin: both archetypes and clichés are frequently found in compositions. Whereas clichés are considered overused and unwanted, archetypes are accepted and only cliché if they are represented in cliché images and words.

One such archetype is the hero-- Superman, Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Jesus. This archetype is so common throughout history and all over the world that you would think it would be cliché, but it has such psychological appeal and depth, and makes for such good stories, that we don't care how cliché it is. Archetypes, unlike clichés, provide a frame for a character or story which is then shaped and presented in an original way by the storyteller.

VII. In Closing

Clichés are, by definition, prevalent phrases or ideas in literature, advertisements, and numerous other forms. They are common in romance novels, parodies, and television. Although critics advise against clichés, they remain popular.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Clichés: Definition and Examples | LiteraryTerms.net

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Clear Clichés examples and definition. This article will also show you the importance of Clichés and how to use it. A cliché is a saying or idea which has been so overused that it has lost the power of its original meaning.

# data[].attributes.body
an expression with a figurative or metaphorical meaning that differs from its literal meaning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What are idioms? 🤔 | Idioms in English | Learn with examples

# data[].attributes.body
A pun is a play on words, centering on a word with more than one meaning or words that sound alike.

# data[].attributes.body
the art of persuasion through communication.

# data[].attributes.body
the character or emotions of a speaker or writer that are expressed in the attempt to persuade an audience.

# data[].attributes.body
to persuade an audience by purposely evoking certain emotions to make them feel the way the author wants them to feel

# data[].attributes.body
to appeal to the audiences' sense of reason or logic

# data[].attributes.body
name for the methods a writer uses to reveal a character's values, feelings, goals, etc. to readers.

# data[].attributes.body
The author is stating a definitive fact about the character, as opposed to more subtle description that leave some thing up to the reader's imagination.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Direct and Indirect Characterization: Show and Tell

# data[].attributes.body
To show things that reveal the personality of a character.

# data[].attributes.body
one that does not undergo important change in the course of the story, remaining essentially the same at the end

# data[].attributes.body
a character who undergoes some important change in the course of the story.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
 two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Flat Character Design: Illustrator Tutorial

# data[].attributes.body
two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work. By contrast, round characters are complex and undergo development.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
OSU School of Writing, Literature and Film

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"What is a Flat Character vs a Round Character?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers