Cliches

I had a student last year who wrote that he doesn't think cliches are all that bad--they once were a great way to say something, and he thinks they still have a place in modern writing.  I try to avoid cliches like the plague (okay, I won't do that again), but I hope he has a point.

Wait--hear me out.

Some students come to English from another language, and to them cliches can seem fresh.  Evocative.  And then there's the tropes in stories: prophecies, parents who disappear in children's fiction, dragons who guard treasure and breathe fire, sexy vampires...I wouldn't want all those tropes to go away.  Now I'm not saying I don't see far too much of some things--and yes, of course I love new twists on old ideas.  But I was looking at young adult novel cliches today, particularly cliches in the paranormal romance and urban fantasy, and while I'm definitely sick of some, I wouldn't want other to disappear.  I like them.  Other people like them.  And if they're written well enough--or seen from a fresh perspective--they really can sparkle (I swore I'd stop, didn't I?  Oops.).

So what do you think about cliches, in plot or down at the sentence level?  I love seeing people play with cliches (Terry Pratchett comes to mind), and that sort of play can't happen without a base...

The Wee Free Men from Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series!  Terry Pratchett is a genius, and every time he writes a new book there is much rejoicing.