English 10-1
Short Story Terminology
A
ALLUSION: A casual or implied reference to something from history, a literary
work, religion, myth, etc.
Examples:
ANTAGONIST: The main character’s opponent, against whom the protagonist
struggles.
Examples:
ATMOSPHERE: The overall emotional impression of the story; Similar to mood.
Examples:
j
C
CHARACTER: Any person, animal, or animate thing within a story.
Main Character: A character who is central to the story’s conflict.
Examples:
Minor Character: A character who is not central to the story’s conflict.
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Round Character: Complex and many-sided; as difficult to describe as a real
person.
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Flat Character: Developed around a single idea or quality; can be described in a
single phrase or sentence.
Examples:
Stock Character: A specific type of flat character who is built around common
stereotypes; a character whose characteristics are known immediately because
of common conceptions and/or misconceptions (ex: the wicked stepmother, the
absent-minded professor). Also called an archetype.
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Dynamic Character: A character who changes throughout the course of the
story.
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Static Character: A character who does not change.
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CHARACTERIZATION: Creating a lifelike character. Characterization can be:
Direct Characterization: “Telling”; the author “tells” the reader what the
character is like through direct description.
Examples:
Indirect Characterization: “Showing”; the author “shows” what the character is
like through action, dialogue, inner thoughts, and/or what others think about him
or her.
Examples:
3 Key Elements of Characterization
Consistency: Keeping the same principles and course of action.
Plausibility: Believable; appearing true.
Motivation: Why the character does what the character does.
CONFLICT: The plot of a short story is centred on a conflict (a disagreement
or problem). The conflict can be external or internal.
External Conflict
Man vs. Man:
Examples:
Man vs. Nature:
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Man vs. Society:
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Internal Conflict
Man vs. Self:
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Im gay
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: Speech or writing that departs from literal meaning
in order to achieve a special effect or meaning. Metaphor, simile, and
personification are all examples of figures of speech.
FORESHADOWING: Hinting at events that may occur later in a literary work.
Examples:
GENRE: A kind or style of literature marked by distinctive style, form, or content.
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HYPERBOLE: – Deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.
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IMAGERY: Language that evokes one or all of the five senses.
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IRONY: There are 3 main types of irony:
Dramatic Irony: The reader or viewer knows more about reality than the
character does. Thus, the character seems naïve.
Examples:
Situational Irony: The opposite of what is expected occurs or an apparently
straightforward statement is altered by the context in which it is spoken.
Examples:
Verbal Irony: The character says the opposite of what he or she really intends;
sarcasm.
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JUXTAPOSITION: To place two things side by side in order to compare and/or
contrast them.
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METAPHOR: A comparison that speaks of one thing as if it were another to form
a meaningful connection between the two.
A metaphor does not use like or as
Examples:
MOOD: An emotional state or feeling created in the reader by the author’s
attitude toward the subject or theme.
Examples:
MOTIF: A recurrent thematic element in an artistic or literary work.
Examples:
ONOMATOPOEIA: The use of words that mimic the sounds that they describe.
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PARADOX: Two opposing ideas that reveal a deeper truth that at first seems
contradictory.
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PARALLELISM: The intentional use of identical or similar grammatical structure
within one sentence or in two or more sentences.
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PERSONIFICATION: Giving human qualities or actions to inanimate objects.
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PLOT: The sequence of events in a story.
Exposition: Introduction; includes background information about the setting,
the characters, and what has happened before the beginning of the story.
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Antecedent Action: A part of the exposition that provides the reader with
knowledge of events that occurred before the beginning of the story and that
have led up to the situation or event that begins the story.
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Initial Incident: The first problem; the incident that leads to the main conflict of
the story.
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Rising Action: All events that develop and intensify the main conflict of the
story.
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Climax: The point of highest interest and tension; the turning point of the story
that resolves the conflict. At the climax of the story, the reader is often able to
predict the story’s resolution.
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Falling Action: All necessary concluding scenes; the tension subsides and the
plot moves toward its conclusion.
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Denouement/Resolution: The final conclusion of the story. (Denouement is
French for unknotting or untying.) There are 2 types of resolutions:
Determinate – The conflict is resolved in favour of either the protagonist or
the antagonist.
Indeterminate – The conflict is not resolved.
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POINT OF VIEW: How we know about what happens; how the story is told.
First Person: A character tells the story about him or herself.
Examples:
Third-Person Omniscient: The narrator tells the story and reveals the inner
thoughts and feelings of more than one character. The narrator is “all-knowing.”
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Third-Person Limited: The narrator tells the story but only reveals the thoughts
and feelings of one character.
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Third-Person Objective: – The narrator tells the story but does not reveal the
thoughts and feelings of any of the characters. The narrator can only report what
he or she sees and hears.
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PROTAGONIST: The main or central character of a story; the character that the
reader wants to succeed.
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Antihero: A protagonist who lacks the characteristics generally associated with a
hero.
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SATIRE: The use of irony to ridicule or make fun of a human vice or weakness;
although satire can be funny, its aim is not to amuse but to arouse contempt.
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SETTING: Where and when the story takes place. The setting of a short story
can be:
Geographical: The surface features of a place (ex: in the mountains).
Regional: A specific part of the earth (ex: near the equator; in France).
Physical vs. Mental: Tangible (a real place) vs. intangible (the setting only exists
in the mind of the narrator).
Specific vs. Universal: A specific place (ex: Cochrane, AB) vs. a setting that could
be anywhere (ex: a city).
SIMILE: A comparison of two unlike things using like or as
Examples:
SUSPENSE: The feeling of excitement and curiosity that keeps readers turning
pages; created by making readers wonder how the conflict will resolved, what
choice the protagonist will make, or what will happen next.
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SYMBOL: The use of a concrete object to represent a more complex idea or
concept.
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SYNESTHESIA: The conflation of two or more senses. For example, describing a
colour as being cool (sight and touch).
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THEME: The main point of the story; the central idea or statement about life that
unifies the story. The reader can apply the theme to his or her own life.
Theme is not the conflict of the story or the subject of the story. It is the
comment or statement that is made about the conflict or the subject.
Ex: In “Love,” the theme might be “Death cannot conquer love” not
“Death.”
Examples:
TONE: The author’s attitude toward his or her subject.
Examples:
Extra Definitions:
