Short Story Lit Terms

Short Story

A brief work of fiction where one main character faces a conflict, which is resolved in the plot

Plot Structure/ Triangle

Includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

Plot

The sequence of events. Involves characters and a problem.

Exposition

Introduces setting, characters, and situation

Rising Action

All events leading up to the climax

Climax

High point of interest or suspense, a turning point in the story

Falling Action

All the events after the climax leading to the resolution

Resolution

Where the conflict is resolved

Characters

The people or animals who participate in the story

Protagonist

Main character in the story

Antagonist

Character or force who opposes the protagonist.

Setting

The time and place of a story or a play. (period, year, season, time of day, location, social, economic, cultural environment

Theme

The central message or the lesson to be learned. A generalization about people or about life. The main idea.

Characterization

The way the author describes a character, including physical description, words, actions, and interactions.

Direct Characterization

The author tells us directly what a character is like.

Indirect Characterization

Readers use own judgement to decide what a character is like based on evidence the writer gives us. The author does not come out and tell us what a character is like.

Static Character

Does not change throughout the story.

Dynamic Character

Changes throughout the story

Foreshadowing

The use of clues to hint at events that will occur later in the plot.

Prediction

Using clues to make an educated guess as to what will happen next in the story.

Mood

A story's atmosphere or the feeling it evokes.

Suspense

Uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about what is going to happen next in the story.

External Conflict

Character vs. outside force. (another character, natural disaster, etc.

Internal Conflict

A struggle within a character, a decision of the heart or mind, cannot be seen

Irony

When something unexpected happens; difference between expectations and reality

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something the people in the story do not

Imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language.

Symbolism

Something that represents more than itself/has a deeper meaning.

First person point of view

Character is telling the story using "I"

Third Person Limited

Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of ONE character

Third Person Omniscient

Narrator knows thoughts and feelings of all characters

Tone

attitude of writer towards subject, generally conveyed through word choice