AP Short Story Terminology

characterization

methods a writer uses to communicate information about characters to readers

direct characterization

"She was a beautiful baby"

indirect characterization

Author shows character in action and lets readers make their own interpretations

climax

the moment when the action comes to its highest point of dramatic conflict.

complication

any obstacle that increases the tension of the story

conflict

central source of tension and drama in the story

dialogue

Conversation between two or more characters

diction

author's choice of words and their connotative meanings

dramatic irony

the reader knows something the character doesn't

exposition

Beginning of a story in which the setting, characters, and conflict are introduced.

falling action

Events after the climax, leading to the resolution

foreshadowing

the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot

hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

imagery

the use of specific details to describe one thing in terms of another.

irony

a particular tone created when the speaker intends a meaning that is opposite to the words he or she says.

narrator

speaker who tells the story

point of view

the perspective from which a story is told

omniscient

the author presents the thoughts of every character

limited

3rd person perspective in which the narrator only presents the thoughts of one character.

resolution

the conclusion of the story

rising action

part of the story in which the tension rises.

setting

time and place of the story

structure

exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution

style

characteristic ways in which an author uses language

suspense

a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.

symbol

image, object, character, or action that stands for an idea beyond its literal meaning

theme

the story's main ideas that the author intends to communicate. These are often universal truths.

tone

clues in a story that suggest the writer's own attitude toward elements of their writing

understatement

figure of speech in which the speaker says less than what they actually feel.

verbal irony

use of hyperbole or understatement for ironic effect

Values, feelings, goals, problems

Characterization

unreliable narrator

a narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised

conventional symbols

symbols which are universally recognized

nonconventional symbols

symbols which do not have meaning without the context of the story