Literary Cliches

[Deleted]

After reading the movie and television cliche threads, this seemed like the right thing to do.

I hate the way book reviewers frequently use the term "tour de force."

Your turn.

[pepper67]

I don't this is a literary cliche, as such, as I've only seen it in Barbara Cartland's books, but I've read seven of her books and in each and every one, the heroine was afflicted with ellipsitis. For instance:

"Oh...I...don't know...what happened! What...would...my parents...think?"

It's like William Shatner in a frilly dress.

[Auroranorth]

In romance novels, the heroine who does something incredibly brainless and needs to be rescued by the hero. If he wants intelligent children, he should let her be killed off and find someone with some common sense who doesn'd do the equivelent of investigating the funny noise while wearing a chiffon nightie and carrying a candlestick. In 2005. Put some sweats and sneakers on and use a flashlight, dummy.

[Deleted]

I suppose it's difficult to create an original cliff-hanger, but I'm getting sick of this sort of thing in thrillers:

Bob wracked his brain, trying to understand who had done this terrible thing, and why... Then suddenly he gasped. Of course! The answer had been in front of his very eyes the whole time!

End of chapter.

And another one that drives me nuts is when hack writers use this ham-handed way of portraying a child's view of the world: "Jerry covertly studied the strange man. He was really old, the boy thought. Like at least 30!"

[dwanollah]

It's like William Shatner in a frilly dress.

As someone who uses and overuses said ellipses, I would just like to say: *hysterical laughter!*

[goggle]

auroranorth said:

In romance novels

everything is a cliche! Most of which I can't remember now, except the one that all men are studly, and have macho studly names to go with them.

[emersende]

Something that I hate: when someone's shirt is riding up (or something like that) to show "a tantalizing slice of skin." Tantalizing. It's a word you use while writing a description of a cheesecake for a menu. Big pet peeve of mine.

[stargirl]

How about when one character is trying to convince another to do something, and the second character is insisting, "No way. I'm never going to _______."
Then the chapter ends and the beginning of the very next ones starts off with the character doing X behavior that he was vowing not too.
A bit overused, but can be funny sometimes.

[kafka]

I had to bump up this thread because I've read a startling amount of bad books lately and I simply have to vent.

Bad Clichés:

--- In Chick Lit, the gay Gal Pal is always swishily marvelous, outrageous, socially blunt and totally Queen of the Maypole.

--- Actions books: Is there something that says that the hero in a spy/suspense/action thriller series can't have the same woman in his life through all the books? I understand the literary device and point, but really, it's so James Bond 1960s and old. Get over it already.

--- In Chick Lit: Safe, sweet, kind friends are often fat and rarely blonde; dangerous vipers who will stab you in the back are always blonde, thin, toned, perfectly groomed and dressed in the height of designer fashion. I'm not blonde, but even I am starting to get defensive on their behalf.

--- The penultimate way to show a free spirit is to have her have: either curly, wild red hair (or occasionally, jet black hair in a Louise Brooks bob); outrageous clothing which often clashes with her hair; lots of sex with any guy, unrelated to any emotional attachment; or all the above.

--- 98% of British Chick Lit heroines live with roommates unless they're sexually and emotionaly repressed, which seems to be the only time they live alone.

--- 98% of British Chick Lit heroines are financially irresponsible and so totally negligent about their jobs that, in reality, they'd be fired in one week. But nooooooooooooooo, these girls get to spend all their days making fun of their managers or bosses to their face (!!), skipping out of the job, and/or doing no work whatsoever --- even in the smallest extreme, because you know, heroines NEVER actually slog through the daily rut. No, in fact, their insolence is praised because they're totally entitled to fixate on their love life without doing any work. And, somehow, they never get fired, never get told off, or never get in trouble.

[Libelle]

kafka said:

--- Actions books: Is there something that says that the hero in a spy/suspense/action thriller series can't have the same woman in his life through all the books? I understand the literary device and point, but really, it's so James Bond 1960s and old. Get over it already.

Oh God yes, this! I hate it. It's somewhat related to the hero-gets-the-girl-syndrome, which is one of my most hated thriller cliches. I want to see female characters who a) actually have a reason for being in the story other than "token female" and "love interest for hero", b) do not end up in the hero's bed.

Also along the lines of relationships in literature: Having the hero and heroine bicker/fight/bitch at each other constantly and then suddenly go down in a ball of smoldering (and usually badly written) passion. (This one is a huge favorite of bad fanfic writers anywhere.)