"I think to be oversensitive about cliches is like being oversensitive about table manners"

Evelyn Waugh's quote, "I believe to be oversensitive about cliches is like being oversensitive about table manners", deals with the balance between appreciating tradition and accepting creativity. Waugh draws an analogy between clichés-- phrases or concepts that have actually become tired-- and table manners, which are established conventions of etiquette.

In this contrast, Waugh suggests that an extreme worry about preventing clichés can be as restricting as an excessive focus on rigorous table good manners. Both clichés and table good manners serve essential functions: clichés convey concepts accessibly and effectively, while table good manners facilitate social interactions by supplying a shared set of behaviors. Waugh implies that to dismiss clichés outright because they are commonplace is to ignore their utility in reliable interaction. Simply as table manners help keep order and prevent social synthetic pas, clichés can succinctly reveal extensively understood concepts, making them vital in lots of contexts.

However, Waugh's contrast likewise suggests the significance of discernment. There is a middle ground in between mindlessly adhering to conventions and rejecting them altogether. In composing, while originality and imagination are necessary, relying too greatly on preventing every cliché can suppress expression and push away the audience. Likewise, an overzealous adherence to table good manners can cause rigidness, impeding real interaction and developing unneeded tension.

Furthermore, Waugh seems to be promoting for a thoughtful balance. Awareness of clichés ought to not cause their blanket avoidance but to a careful factor to consider of when they are proper and reliable. In the exact same method, knowledge of appropriate table manners should direct one's habits without becoming a restrictive fascination.

In essence, Waugh's quote champs the value of small amounts. It motivates us to recognize and appreciate the role of both clichés and table manners in communication and social interaction, while not enabling adherence to them to eclipse authenticity and creativity.