Literary Terms (Short Story Unit) Flashcards
Allegory
A story or narrative in which a moral principle or abstract truth is presented by means of fiction characters or events.
Allusion
A brief reference to a person, place, or event (real or fictional).
Antagonist
The force(s) that works against the protagonist, such as other people, things, society, or themselves.
Climax
The turning point in the story or the point when the conflict is resolved.
Compare
To look for qualities or characteristics that are similar to each other. The similarities are stressed, but in some cases, differences are also mentioned.
Internal Conflict
Man vs. Himself
Connotation
What a word infers or suggests.
Contrast
The stressing of differences of things, qualities, events, or problems.
Denotation
The literal meaning or definition of a word.
Dilemma
A situation in which a character must choose between two different paths of action which are undesirable.
Direct Presentation
The narrator tells the reader everything about the character.
Dramatic or Objective Point of View
The opposite of the omniscient point of view. Like a camera following and recording events without judgement or comment. The author does not show the feelings or thoughts of any of the characters. The reader must judge things by themselves.
Dynamic Character
A character that changes during the story.
Falling Action
A part of the plot, which occurs after the climax.
First Person Point of View
The narrator tells the story in the first person, āIā. The reader sees and know only as much as the narrator.
Flashback
When the present action in a story is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events.
Flat Character
A character with one or two traits.
Foreshadowing
Hints or clues that help the reader anticipate the outcome of the story.
Indirect Presentation
When we know about a character by what he or she says, does, or thinks, and how other character react to them.
Verbal Irony (Sarcasm)
When someone says or writes one thing or uses words to convey a meaning that is opposite of the literal meaning.
Situational Irony
When a situation involving actions have an effect that is opposite of what was intended, so the outcome is contrary to what was expected.
Dramatic Irony
A situation of drama that is understood by the audience, but not grasped by the characters in the story.
Limited Omniscient Point of View
The author tells the story in the third person, but he tells it from the viewpoint of only once character in the story. (In effect, the author stands by the side of the character and presents the story through their eyes)
Omniscient Point of View
The author tells the story in the third person and he knows everything about all of the characters.
