Literary cliches in science fiction.

The theme of a hero who is not like everyone else is very popular in teenage literature.

Why not a special destiny? Besides, if you are special, you will definitely be noticed and loved. Therefore, the reader from the target audience can easily associate himself with a hero who turns out to be chosen and unique, although at first glance a teenager as a teenager. All this is understandable, but too many science fiction novels are created precisely according to this scheme. Even if he finds himself in a group of unusual or somewhat privileged people, the main character turns out to be the most unique among them, and this is absolutely ridiculous. In addition, sometimes such characters turn out to be spineless and passive, since they do not need to overcome themselves, cultivate willpower, persevere and fight.

The secret of success is to be lucky enough to be born the chosen one and the most “different” one, then everything will work out, but the rest will not, no matter how much they want it.

Love triangle

In fact, love relationships are one of the eternal themes in literature, and it is difficult to imagine humanity that would cease to be interested in this. Love is a part of our nature, so any problems and conflicts associated with it are of keen interest to us. The situation when one woman is torn by her feelings for two men (or vice versa) is also understandable to readers and evokes a keen response from them.

The problem is that now this trendy theme is introduced into the plot without any reason or preparation, and this attempt to spice up the story has the opposite effect.

The writer portrays both romantic interests of his hero or heroine, but does not delve into their characters, nor into the motivations of all three, much less into any psychological subtleties of their relationship. And instead of an interesting plot, it turns out to be a faceless literary cliche, if you remove it, the work will only benefit.

Mary Sue and Marty Stu

This concept comes from fan fiction, and most often such characters appear there, but they are also often found in more serious literary forms.

The names of Mary Sue and Marty Stu are given to heroes who are absurdly ideal: beautiful, smart, and lucky, they can do everything.

A novel whose hero is someone like Mary or Marty is not always bad. Sometimes an ideal, beautiful hero only needs one cute flaw to turn from an ideal shining with a nasty light into a charming lucky guy. But more often it happens that the author does not try at all to make the protagonist of his novel at least somewhat interesting, developing and capable of making mistakes, and reading about such a home-grown superman is simply not interesting.

"Luke, I am your father"

Family secrets are a topic that many readers highlight among their favorite motifs in literature. And I'm no exception. But, like any plot twist, the theme of family secrets can be revealed well or badly.

If the reader is masterfully led by the nose, and when the truth is revealed, the entire previous plot suddenly appears in a different light, he, the reader, will only be glad and ask for more.

If the situation is obvious from the very beginning, and only the dull protagonist does not understand what is going on, or if “absolutely by chance” fate brought together two separated twins in a grocery store around the corner, who recognized each other by a mole on their forehead, the reader will lose all confidence in auto RU.

Trilogies and more

It seems to me that now cycle works have become more popular than ever. Of course, there have been continuation novels before, novels divided into volumes, sequels and prequels written many years after the original was released, when no one was waiting, and so on. But now, in some genres, literary series with three or more novels planned are considered more successful than the usual one-volume works with a beginning and an end under one cover. Therefore, now writers immediately figure out how to cut the planned plot into several parts, even when the plot does not imply this at all.

Amazing cat saves the world

One of the fashionable topics in modern literature is the stories of various pets that distinguished themselves in some way or simply appeared in the life of their owner at the most necessary moment. As a rule, the plots are quite touching and interesting, but the literary form in which they are presented does not stand up to criticism.

And the stories themselves are more like a newspaper article than a novel.

The more skepticism is caused by store shelves filled with books with photos of cats and dogs on the covers.

An old fairy tale in a new way

Reinterpreting long-known plots is not a new topic in literature. Moreover, this is how masterpieces are born. But nowadays in literature they like to pour from empty to empty, and the authors forget that when rethinking it would be necessary not to repeat the old story, but to breathe new life into it, turn everything on its head, add much more from oneself than take from it. common piggy bank.

As a result, stories with long-familiar fairy-tale or mythical plots grow like mushrooms after rain. This category also includes novelizations of computer games and films.

Perhaps these are all modern literary clichés that cause rejection - they come across so often. Actually, there are many more cliches, but I don’t like all of them. For example, the action takes place in a small town - an old cliche, but I am ready to read books about small towns one after another. Or a detective cliché: the main character, an amateur detective, is loved by readers, the author continues the series about this hero, and as a result, corpses come his way more often than cones in a spruce forest. Absolutely not believable, but not annoying, provided that the detective stories themselves are written well. Cliches are not always evil; sometimes you can’t do without them at all.

After all, Borges said that there are only four stories, and writers retell them over and over again. Archetypes are, in a certain sense, also cliches, but it is on them that the most interesting literature is built.

What mistakes are most common in all literary works submitted to the Golden Pen competition?
- If the beginning is teeming with literary cliches, like “the frost was getting stronger”, “the sun was setting”, “the wind was blowing”, “the eyes were blue”, “he turned pale”, “she turned pale” and the like, then no self-respecting jury member can simply read it won't. If there are grammatical errors, too. Classics of the genre: “I help those who are tired of learning Russian language.” What kind of Golden Feather can we talk about in this case?
If there are repetitions of words: he, she, they, was, was, there were others - well, it’s just unpleasant. Remember - Pushkin is strong because not a single word is repeated on his page! Read your poems again. Remove the words: “love”, “moon”, “stars”, “you”, “I”, “dream”, “evil” - it will become easier for you to breathe. Remove from fairy tales “hackneyed” heroes like elves, trolls and fairies, as well as kings and princesses... If in a poetic piece a verb rhymes with a verb, a noun with a noun, an adjective with an adjective, especially with the same syllabic size, these are gross mistakes. They are justified only if the emphasis is on precisely this rhymed form of the reverse. “Boot and low shoe” is also not a rhyme! There is also so-called “water”, not visible to the author. These are extra quatrains, or sentences, or even entire pages, which can easily be abandoned. Avoid semantic and verbal tautology. Chekhov, for example, wrote his stories like this. He will write and let you rest. Then he will throw out the first couple of pages. And Hemingway was looking for a good opening phrase, like “the bell that tolls for you.” If this phrase exists, consider that there is a novel... The same goes for the competition work. Look for your personal courage! If you have the courage to think, consider that the feather is already on the lapel of your jacket!
From the article "Literary problems of the country of the Soviets."

The above excerpt identifies the most serious errors found in the works of novice authors.
I was interested in the prioritization of the competition organizer: the emphasis is placed primarily not on the illiteracy of the majority of young writers, as it would seem to be one of the most important and pressing problems of modern youth prose, but on the question of the admissibility of using so-called literary cliches in literary texts. Therefore, I would like to dwell on this topic in a little more detail.
According to the unanimous opinion of critics and sophisticated readers, cliches are the mark that separates the chaff from the wheat, and the following set of cliches is unacceptable in high-quality literature:

“Tired, but happy”, “the frost grew stronger”, “jump out like a bullet”, “blush in embarrassment”, “open trusting eyes”, “the first large drops of rain”, “frost that turned silver...”, “steps echoed loudly”, “a woman of amazing destiny”, “having gone all the way”, “scorching tea”, “silence reigned”, “unruly curls”, “in splendid isolation”, “hero of the occasion”, “sunset gilded...”, “formidable weapon ", "gentle haze", "ruddy apple", "hands like wings", "swan neck", "the wind is rustling in the ears", "fog is spreading", "sadness/sadness/longing in the eyes", "fur like velvet" , “witch’s potion”, “the face clouded/shone with happiness”, “the edge of reason”, “righteous indignation”, “offended innocence”, “unforeseen coincidence of circumstances”, “in fruitless attempts”, “guardians of order”, “grin at mustache”, “cunning squint of eyes”, “hair/curls scattered in sleep”, “chest rose high”, “shaked all over with indignation”, “face distorted with hatred”, “pounce with congratulations”, “the hero of not her novel” , “everything went cold inside”, “hot embrace”, “green beauty”, “the dream of a righteous man”, “eagle gaze”, “icy/cold gaze”, “strong-willed chin”, “unruly curls”, “bottomless eyes”, “ thin as a reed”, “tired and kind eyes”, “the color of ripe wheat”, “cornflower blue eyes”, “with unshakable confidence”, “with a cheerful cunning”, “laugh fervently”, “grind your teeth in frustration”, “jumped up, ready for action”, “impenetrable/pitch darkness”, “wave away in annoyance”, “fragile blond creature”, “panther’s gait/cat’s gait”, “twilight has fallen on the city”, “a stingy man’s tear”, “a gentle girl’s look”, “to chirp cheerfully”, “to have a special look”, “to leave behind a vague feeling of something joyful”, “it was getting dark”, “there was a smell of spring in the air”, “her hair spilled over her shoulders like silk”, “ eyes like coals”, “burn with passion”, “cling to your lips (or something else...)”, “snow/moonlight is silvering”, “gallant Frenchman”, “prim Englishman”, “mysterious Russian soul”, “bright stars/lush vegetation”, “victim of passion/love”, “the sun was setting”, “the wind was blowing”, “blue eyes”, “he turned pale”, “fragile psyche”, “dark depths”, “making eyes”, “sensitive soul”, “quivering heart”, “years rush by like a horse”, “time, the evil executioner”, “lush flowering”, “light of the soul”, “scales like gold/copper”, “marble skin”, “eyes like diamonds”, “rose from a creaky chair”, “went to the open window”, “meager dinner”, “naive child”, “noble warrior”, “blush with barely restrained rage”, “fall into arms”, “magical world childhood", "caring mother's hands", "father's stern gaze".

Poetic stamps:
“Blood-love-carrots-again-”, “eternity-infinity”, “love-pray/offend-see” (as well as other verbal rhymes), “never-forever”, “tears-dreams”, “day-shadow” ", "house-tom-com", "warmth-light", "sky-wasn't", "time-burden", "banner-flame", "memories-suffering", "rose-frost-mimosa".

Of course, this is far from a complete catalog of literary templates, however, while reading this selection of metaphors and images wandering from book to book, I noticed that some of the listed “clichés” are in fact set expressions (“cat walk”, “jump out like a bullet”) ") and traditional descriptive techniques that are important for conveying reliable information about the external and internal characteristics of a character (“cold/icy gaze”) or the specifics of a particular phenomenon (“bright stars”). These are tag words characteristic of any language, the replacement of which with newly invented phraseological units can lead to a certain kind of misunderstanding between the reader and the author of the text. “I, of course, can change the stamp, and, for example, declare that “lantern” will now be considered a “svetarem”, due to its consonance with the word “light”, or even “taprimak” without any consonance with anything, but this is unlikely is it productive" © staruschka57
Since the universe is characterized by clear, stable laws, the phenomena and concepts described by people remain unchanged for thousands of years. Consequently, it makes no sense to look for original designations for objects that are familiar to every person since childhood, and the use of stamps in such cases is justified and appropriate.
Attempts to include such phrases as “blue eyes” and “moonlight” among the forbidden clichés make me suspect modern literary critics of incompetence. “Blonde/blonde with blue eyes”, “fog spreading over the lake”, “moonlight illuminating the paths”, without a doubt, are stereotypical images inherent in 90% of works of art, but these are forms invented not by people, but by that higher and no less stereotypical authority, which is usually called God or nature.
All human life consists of “stamps”. Everyday situations are repeated, thoughts and actions, smiles and hysterics, holidays and misadventures are repeated. Words are repeated. And in the realities of everyday life, for some reason they do not seem outdated or inappropriate.
Literature describes the same life, albeit clothed in a weave of ornate and colorful phrases, and the use of formulaic formulations is only a way to activate the emotional perception of a text that was initially devoid of visual and auditory images. Skillful manipulation of cliches creates the illusion of simplicity of presentation and makes it possible to easily understand the events proposed by the writer or poet. When a person passes long-familiar images and designations through the prism of consciousness, he is able to more reliably compare fiction and reality in his mind, while he first needs to adapt to unusual ideas about reality, which significantly slows down the process of understanding the ideas embedded in the text. Moreover, in the pursuit of originality, the original meaning of the work is often lost, so it is not cliches that should be avoided, but inept innovation.
However, I will not deny that the use of template wording should be deliberate and careful: if it is possible to cross out an extra word, it will always be wise to cross it out.

The most common plot cliches:
- The hero is offered to take up a case (solve a crime, go on a trip, etc.), he initially refuses, but then, after reflection, agrees.
- The hero takes revenge for his dead parents.
- The hero or heroine falls in love with the villain, although he understands that this could cost her/him his/her life.
- The hero goes for advice to a sage, and he, having broken down a little, solves all the problems.
- The hero not only copes with his enemies, but receives love and half a kingdom into the bargain.
The decisive battle between the hero and the villain.
- “Please don’t die” scene followed by animation.
- Large-scale atrocities and rescues: the antagonist dreams of destroying the universe, the hero saves it.
- The hero secretly enters the villain’s lair and learns important information.
- At a crucial moment, the best friend betrays the main character.

Advice: Often a writer spends hours working on a paragraph, but it doesn’t work out - even if you crack it! Time flies, things stand still, the author becomes desperate. What should I do? Write down the thought - what exactly needs to be reflected in this paragraph - and move on. You can even write an entire novel in this “cursive script” and then edit it.

ABC for a writer: how to write a book?

Sixteenth meeting in the literary drawing room

Plot cliches

From this article you will learn:

Those who closely follow meetings in the literary drawing room, or actively participate in them, have long guessed what topic of conversation will follow the “plot archetypes” - see. And they will be absolutely right.

If after the archetypes of heroes, see -, there were cliches of heroes - see, then after analyzing the plot archetypes, it would be logical to analyze plot cliches. So, let's get started.

There is no doubt that critics and literary scholars have already unanimously rendered their verdict that the use of plot cliches- This is a sign of unprofessionalism. The author cannot come up with anything new and steals stories from geniuses! At the same time, critics forget to dig deeper and find out, oh horror, from whom the genius, in turn, “stole” the spectacular plot.

As an example, I will cite the stamp indicated in the classification - “a representative of a more developed civilization falls in love with a native girl.” How many books and films with such a plot have you seen? Thousands. Has this made them less popular? No.

By the way, for some reason the famous Robinson immediately came to mind... And even though Friday was a man, his name was Friday! Cool use stamp with our own seasoning, replacing love with friendship and worship... And so the recipe is simple: take stamp, adding know-how and…. We get a bestseller!

Why do I advocate using plot cliches? Probably because I am a psychologist by profession. And any person familiar with psychology knows that the shortest path to the reader’s heart lies... now I’ll tell you a terrible secret... And so, we will get the emotions we need if we use something already painfully familiar to the reader plot.

Surprised? And there is nothing unnatural about this. Imagine, they tell you about the vile behavior of a bad mother... What do you feel? Anger, condemnation, irritation, clung to the children...

It turns out that Shakespeare blatantly used stamp, to make you approve of Hamlet’s actions, although he is an obvious murderer! But Hamlet, by killing, took revenge. And his revenge was caused by his mother’s inappropriate behavior!

And if Shakespeare allowed himself such “liberties,” then who will forbid you? Therefore, listing the most used plot cliches– savor them with me. What “delicacies” can be prepared from them! Especially considering that the reader, having sensed the “taste” familiar from childhood, will know in advance that he will enjoy your work.

Just one word of caution: take stamp as a basis, this does not mean rewriting Hamlet verbatim. Use your brains and bring Hamlet to our time, it will be extremely relevant for fans of bloody showdowns - a lot of corpses and mysteries!

And don’t forget to rename him at least Georg!

And now - The most common plot cliches

A celestial creature comes to earth and falls in love with a mortal. An alternative option: a representative of a more developed civilization falls in love with a native girl.
Everyone is chasing some military secret or a magic shovel with which they can rake in money. The thing can change the course of history.

The main character is transported to a parallel world and there becomes a god, king, hero or wizard.

The Apocalypse has arrived, people live in dungeons and fight with mutants.

A girl marries a foreigner. Acquaintance, embassy ordeals and long-awaited love - everything is based on true events.

The hero is offered to take up a case (solve a crime, go on a trip, etc.), he initially refuses, but then, after reflection, agrees.

The hero takes revenge for his dead parents.

The hero or heroine falls in love with the villain, although he understands that this may cost his life.

The hero goes to the sage for advice, and he solves his problems.

The hero not only copes with his enemies, but receives love and half a kingdom in addition.

The decisive battle between the hero and the villain.

The hero is on the verge of death, but then a faithful friend appears and saves him.

The "please don't die" scene followed by animation.

Large-scale atrocities and rescues: the antagonist dreams of destroying the universe, the hero saves it.

The hero secretly enters the villain's lair and learns important information.

At a crucial moment, the best friend betrays the main character.

And at the end, a small gift for those who courageously read the article to the end. Working on plot, it is very difficult to come up with a spectacular twist in the storyline. Use these stamps, like transitions, and it will be impossible to tear yourself away from your book.

Creative success, and do not forget to subscribe to the Literary Living Room news.

Until we meet again, Elena Polyarnaya.

Stamp (literary) Stamp linguistic and literary, expressive means of language and literature, which are stereotypically reproduced in texts (mainly in fiction) and are perceived as signs of “clichédness” of thought, imaginary “stylistic beauty”. Sets of fashionable words, phrases and phrases, themes and plots, stereotyped images, the inertia of “ready-made artistry” techniques influence everyone who uses the language. Most often Sh. manifests itself in the so-called. “formulas” of artistic speech: “black gold” (and slaves, and coal, and oil); some title structures (“When...”, three juxtaposed nouns in the nominative case, etc.). The threat of Sh. is fraught with numerous “writer’s excursions” to the country of childhood in modern Soviet literature, serial appeals to the images of a rose and a nightingale in Turkic poetry, rhymes like “mine - not the same.” An uncritical attitude towards Sh. interferes with the manifestation of creative individuality, making the writer and any speaker a victim of the “inertia of style.” But in different spheres of communication - in everyday life, in science, journalism, the arts. literature, etc. - the relationship between speech, expression and stylistically neutral elements of language (which are also constantly reproduced in speech) do not coincide. A sensitive artist always finds ways to transform Sh. (for example, the fashionable word “okoyem” is surrounded by the subtle irony of the line of the poet A. Mezhirov “Lords and kings look beyond the window...”). The tendency of poetry to spread, to transform it into a general “rule” is opposed by the desire of writers to create their own “poetic rules”, to “novelty of material and technique” (V. Mayakovsky, “How to Make Poems?”). The boundaries between “formulas” as stable units of artistic language and general linguistic phraseology, free from the signs of banal word usage, mobile. Thus, the expression “with the naked eye” can still be perceived as Sh., but dictionaries already record its transformation into a stylistically neutral phraseological unit.

Lit.: Kostomarov V. G., Russian language on the newspaper page, M., 1971; Shmelev D.N., Word and Image, M., 1964; [Grigoriev V.P.], Artistic speech, in the book: Book about the Russian language, M., 1969.

V. P. Grigoriev.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

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