The Biggest Cliche

[Sir Tristram]

I was talking with some friends over the weekend and discussing cliches, which made me wonder...
What is the biggest/most overused cliche in fantasy literature???

 

[Devor]

A farmer, hunter or gardener saves the world.

 

[Telcontar]

Either "The Chosen One" (only one person has the ability to save the world) or the rags-to-riches story, which is closely linked.

 

[Gav]

A farmer, hunter or gardener saves the world.

I see your hunter, gardener and farmer, and raise you...

A Thief/Assassin

 

[Devor]

Telcontar is right, I'm changing my answer to "Chosen One."

Rags-to-Riches, or simply an Assassin, or getting the task of saving the world (90% of the population is farmer/gardener/hunter) isn't really a cliche the way the words "Chosen One" are. "A story with dragons" isn't cliche the way "a dragon that bonds telepathically with a rider" is.

 

[grahamguitarman]

Lol, definitely the Chosen One

 

[Lord Darkstorm]

The world will end if the main character does not do...A through Z to save the world.

 

[Xanados]

I'd definitely say the "Chosen One" archetype, or the "peasant farmer saves a kingdom after he finds a magic sword"

 

[Queshire]

Hmm... While the chosen one is certainly a big one, it's limited by the fact that it's still actually used, I mean just look at "Harry Potter" I see your chosen one and raise you a "It was a dark and stormy night..."

 

[Philip Overby]

The chosen one is pretty common, but that's not always a bad thing. The "wacky sidekick" is probably the most annoying cliche for me, but not necessarily the biggest one.

For runner-up to chosen one, I'll have to go with "dark lord of chaos/hatred/evil/darkness."

 

[Anders Ämting]

I argue that if it's still being widely used, it's probably not a cliché.

The real biggest cliché is probably one of those nobody would never ever use, because everyone knows what a big cliché it is. "It was a dark and stormy night" is probably the main contender.

 

[grahamguitarman]

I disagree, a cliche doesn't stop being a cliche just because lots of writers are using it

 

[Klee Shay]

Just about any story is going to end up being a cliche. If there isn't some world/empire/kingdom/village shattering event, there'd be no story. Then you have a story about nothing . . . a fantasy 'Seinfeld' so to speak

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

I disagree, a cliche doesn't stop being a cliche just because lots of writers are using it

In fact, wouldn't that make it even more of a cliché?

 

[Ghost]

That's what I thought, Mr. Clayborne.

 

[Devor]

Hmm... While the chosen one is certainly a big one, it's limited by the fact that it's still actually used, I mean just look at "Harry Potter" I see your chosen one and raise you a "It was a dark and stormy night..."

I think Harry Potter, if anything, is a case study in how to use a cliche well. "Chosen One" didn't come up until most of the way through the story, and for a long time it was used mockingly by his peers more than anything. The point was also stressed, heavily, that he was chosen by another character's actions and that it was their relationship which was the driving source of the conflict. The prophecy was nothing but a McGuffin.

That's a far cry, for instance, from a story where the main character is declared to be a chosen one with uber powers in the first chapter based on random destiny. The character then spends long periods of time trying awkwardly to accept this role he's been suddenly thrust into and is ill suited to accept. Those stories are abundant.

 

[The Dark One]

This might start an argument, although let me assure everyone that I don't mean to cause offence nor to denigrate this genre which we all enjoy...

I believe that fantasy writing is almost always cliched. That doesn't mean it can't be high quality or enjoyable.

But what is fantasy writing - fundamentally and deep down? It's main characteristics are:

- a desire to experience different worlds/milieus

- a desire to experience the freedom (vicariously) of characters unbound by the normal conventions or empowered by special status, artifacts or abilities

- a desire to explore the possibilities of profound/arcane concepts and to make the reader privy to the arcane/admitted to the inner sanctum.

I can't think of a single fantasy story that doesn't have at least one (and usually all three) of these factors. Throw in also some other storytelling conventions (eg, the three act structure; the uplifting fight against overwhelming odds; the journey; the love story etc), and fantasy writing starts to become a bit like country music - writers riffing along very well trodden paths and readers happy to follow where the good writers go.

So what is it that differentiates the really good fantasy writers from the OK and the mediocre? Is it still a fantasy story if it does none of the things described above? I suspect that the really good recognisably fantasy stories do have some (if not all) of the standard features but are done in really original ways or introduce original factors to inspire/confound the reader.

It's still just a variation on a theme...but good.

 

[Caged Maiden]

That's a far cry, for instance, from a story where the main character is declared to be a chosen one with uber powers in the first chapter based on random destiny. The character then spends long periods of time trying awkwardly to accept this role he's been suddenly thrust into and is ill suited to accept. Those stories are abundant.

I'm with you Devor.

I'm offering up another Harry Potter one, but it wasn't Harry Potter which occurred to me first when I thought of the cliche..... The magic student/ apprentice who is suddenly without a master/ unable to master magic/ suddenly discovers they can do magic.

Yep. That's what my first book was about too..... back in 2001, before I'd even heard of Harry Potter. Ah well.... all I can say is that time has done wonders for my creativity. I wonder if I can go back and edit that into something good.....

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

So what is it that differentiates the really good fantasy writers from the OK and the mediocre?

Good characters, story structure, and prose style.

I'm not sure that I agree that the general concept of fantasy that is common to all fantasy literature is "cliché". That's like saying that conflict is cliché, or that having a protagonist is cliché.

 

[Devor]

I can't think of a single fantasy story that doesn't have at least one (and usually all three) of these factors.

Yeah, but those are some of the defining elements and themes of the genre.

I think I would define a cliche as a story trope which appears in a lot of recent poor-to-average writing. The trope isn't bad in and of itself, but just its presence brings to mind such horrible examples of its use that it might risk alienating readers. That, to me, is the definition of cliche.