Short Story Unit

Genre

Categories of literature or artistic works that share similar characteristics, such as fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry.

Realism

A literary movement that seeks to represent life as it truly is, focusing on ordinary characters, events, and settings.

Naturalism

A type of realism that emphasizes the influence of environment, heredity, and social conditions on individuals, often with a focus on the darker aspects of life.

Romanticism

A literary and artistic movement that values emotion, nature, and individualism over reason.

Short story

A brief work of fiction that focuses on a single character or event, typically shorter in length than a novel.

Protagonist

The main character in a story, often sympathized with by the reader, whose goals drive the plot.

Antagonist

The character or force in opposition to the protagonist, creating conflict in the story.

Theme

The central idea or underlying message of a story, often exploring universal concepts.

Exposition

The part of a story that introduces background information, including setting and characters.

Conflict

The struggle or problem that drives the action in a story, usually between opposing forces.

Rising Action

The events that build up and intensify the conflict, leading to the climax.

Climax

The turning point or most intense moment in a story, often a significant decision or event.

Falling Action

The events that follow the climax, leading toward the resolution.

Resolution/Denouement

The conclusion of a story where the conflict is resolved.

Setting

The time, place, and environment in which a story takes place.

Foreshadowing

A literary device that gives hints about future events in the story.

Epiphany

A moment of sudden realization or insight experienced by a character.

Flat character

A one-dimensional character with few traits, serving a specific role in the story.

Round character

A complex, multi-dimensional character showing different aspects of their personality.

Dynamic character

A character who undergoes significant change in personality or perspective throughout the story.

Static character

A character who does not change or develop throughout the story.

Stock character

A stereotypical character recognizable to the audience.

Verbal irony

When a character says something but means the opposite, often used for sarcasm.

Situational irony

When the outcome of an event is opposite to what was expected or intended.

Dramatic irony

When the audience knows something that characters do not, creating tension.

Symbol

An object, person, or event that represents a deeper meaning beyond its literal sense.

Point of View

The perspective from which the story is told, affecting the reader's access to characters' thoughts.

Third-person

The narrator is outside the story and refers to characters as 'he,' 'she,' or 'they.'

Objective

The narrator presents only observable actions and dialogue, with no access to characters' thoughts.

Limited

The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of only one character, usually the protagonist.

Omniscience

The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters.

First person

The narrator is a character in the story and refers to themselves as 'I.'

Stream of consciousness

A narrative mode capturing a character’s inner thoughts in an unstructured flow.

Motif

A recurring element, theme, or symbol in a story.

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject, conveyed through word choice.

Diction

The choice of words and phrasing in a literary work, influencing tone and style.