Cliches in Literature
A cliché, which is a French for stereotype, refers to a group of words that have been used together so often, their meaning has lost its force. An expression like “I turned to stone,” could have at one time brought great imagery to the mind, but over time, familiarity tends to make the reader not fully consider the imagery being alluded to.The use of cliché throughout The Inferno can be contrasted with the school of modern writing, where the prevailing thought is that most of the time writers should try to avoid using cliché's for the sake of the reader losing full consideration of ideas being presented. In his essay “Politics and the English Language”, George Orwell writes “If you use ready-made phrases, you not only don't have to hunt for words; you also don't have to worry about the rhythms of your sentences, since these phrases are generally so arranged to be euphonious.”
Source: George Orwell “Politics and the English Language”
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