Unit 3 & 4 Lit Terms

short story

imaginative prose narrative written to give the reader entertainment and insight; short enough to read in one sitting, has one main point, and is compact

Twice-Told Tales

first example of the short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe

the first American short story writers

William Sydney Porter

the real name of O. Henry

plot

what happens in the story

characters

who makes the story happen

theme

what the story means

setting

time, place, and general background

mood

attitude or emotion toward the subject; also known as the tone

point of view

the perspective from which the story is told; method of presenting the reader with the materials of the story

omniscient

point of view in which the all knowing author narrates and comments freely

limited

point of view of one character

objective

point of view that views the characters in action with no comment to allow reader to come to their own conclusion

irony

method of expression in which the intended meaning of the words used is the direct opposite of their usual sense

verbal

type of irony; saying the opposite of what is meant

dramatic

type of irony; contrasting what a character says and what a reader or audience knows to be true

situational

type of irony; a discrepancy between appearance and reality or between expectation and fulfillments

satire

the ridicule of human folly or vice with the purpose of correcting it or for a humorous affect

surprise ending

an unexpected twist at the end of the story which goes contrary to the readers expectations

unity

the plot, characters, theme, setting, and tone work together to give the story ________