Clichés we live by from modernity to AI Nana Ariel and Dana Riesenfeld

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ariel, Nana, author.

Riesenfeld, Dana, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Clichés.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Oxford University Press, 2026.

New York, NY Oxford University Press [2026]

Summary:

"Clichés are all around us. Politicians, copywriters, educators, scholars, influencers, religious leaders, and a few tedious acquaintances--all use them. But never us. We wouldn't be caught dead using a cliché. This book explores clichés, tracing their trajectory from modernity to contemporary digital and artificial intelligence eras, investigating their paradoxical nature as simultaneously banal and profound, and revealing their pervasive presence in our lives and languages. The study historicizes the concept, tracing its emergence alongside modern print culture, and provides the first comprehensive critical roadmap through various theoretical perspectives, proposing an integrative approach. Drawing insights from language philosophy and rhetoric, the authors treat clichés as events in time, defined not by objective repetition but by the subjective attribution of triteness--similar to déjà vu. Clichés are not necessarily conventional, worn-out phrases; rather, they evoke a visceral sense of "here we go again," interpreted variably by users and receivers. Viewing clichés as negotiable constructs, the analysis explores their manifestations in popular discourse and literary works through self-conscious endorsement, repetitive hoarding, creative appropriation, and celebratory embrace. Finally, the book examines the interplay between clichés and AI language models, highlighting their shared characteristics as statistical, collective, and curiously ownerless forms of language. AI simultaneously relies on and challenges clichés, raising questions on the boundaries of human and machine-generated banality and originality. The book demonstrates that far from being trivial, clichés are dynamic cultural forces we inevitably live by"-- Provided by publisher

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Contents

Stating the Obvious: An Introduction to Clichés

The Trouble with Clichés

Containers, Rags, Plagues, and Tyrants

Here We Go Again-About This Book

1 A Short History of Clichés

The Origin of "Cliché" and the Rise of Homo Originalis

Clichés and Print

Homo Originalis and the Cliché

Technology, Capitalism, and the Paradox of Clichés

Common Places: The Prehistory of Clichés

Aristotle and Topoi

Topoi and Memory

The Genealogy of Clichés and Topoi

Clichés Go Digital, Digital Goes Cliché

Empty Clichés and Stupid Algorithms

Degeneration, Homogenization, and Social Oppression

2 A Roadmap to Cliché Critique

Clichés from A to Z: Dictionaries and Lexicographers

Normative Approaches: The Trial against Clichés

The Execution of Clichés

Clichés, Ideology, and Demystification

How the World Works: Beyond the Normative Approach

How to Do Things with Clichés: Functional Approaches

Constructive Clichés

Clichés and Discourse Actions

The Paradox of Cliché Critique and Beyond

3 Clichés Between Convention and Event

Conventions and Kairos: The Place and Time for Clichés

Clichés as Conventional

Clichés as Timely

Repetition and Difference

The Pseudo History of Clichés

Clichés as Déjà Vus

Causes of the Cliché Effect

Clichés in Context

The Case for New Clichés

4 Cliché Events

Endorsing: Self-Admitted Clichés and the New Sincerity

Clichés and Apologies

"It's a Cliché, But It's True"

"Another Grand Cliché Turns Out to Be True": The New Sincerity

"How Do Trite Things Get to Be Trite?": Infinite Jest and Essential Clichés

Hoarding: Cliché Floods, Piles, and Repetitions

Encyclopedic Pleasures

Repetition of Repetition of Repetition

Clichés Everywhere

Heaping Clichés

Recreating: Unoriginality and Uncreative Writing

You Can't Steal a Gift

The Myth of Originality

Uncreative Writing: "Context Is the New Content"

"The Flickering Edge of Cliché"

Celebrating: Neo-clichés and Memes

Beloved Clichés

Neo-clichés, beyond Kitsch and Camp

Neo-clichés and Memes

From Cliché to Meme

The Grey Areas of Clichés: Conclusion

5 Clichés and Artificial Intelligence

The Imitation Game: Performative Understanding

"Attention Is All You Need": Educating the Machine Against Clichés

Clichés as Shibboleth: AI and Identity Distinction

From Homo Originalis to Homo Mimeticus and Back

Artificial Clichés and the New(ish) Turing Test: A Temporary Conclusion

How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Start Exploring Clichés: A Dialogical Afterword

The End

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on April 23, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version :

ISBN:

9780197809563

0197809561

9780197809549

0197809545

9780197809556

0197809553

OCLC:

1573357695

Publisher Number:

CIPO000352457

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license