Short Story Flashcards
Setting
The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting.
Plot
The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea
6 Parts Of The Plot
1) Exposition – The introduction of the story where the characters and the setting are revealed.
2) Initial Incident- This is the first event that begins the central conflict of the story.
3) Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).
4) Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
5) Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve them. The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between climax and denouement). 6) Resolution/Denouement - This is the final outcome or unknotting of events in the story.
Conflict
Conflict is a problem in the story.
2 Types of Conflict
External - A struggle with a force outside one’s self.
2) Internal - A struggle within one’s self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.
Types of Conflict
1) Man vs. Man (physical) - The leading character(s) struggle(s) with his physical strength against other man/men. 2) Man vs. Nature - The leading character(s) struggle(s) against forces of nature, or animals. 3) Man vs. Society (social) - The leading character(s) struggle(s) against ideas, practices, or customs of other people. 4) Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological) - The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc. 5) Man vs. Supernatural – The leading character(s) struggle(s) with the unknown, such as aliens, magic, ghosts, etc.
6) Man vs Technology/Machine- The leading character(s) struggle(s) with elements of technology, such as robots, computer, etc.
How an author reveals character
his/her physical appearance
what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams
what he/she does or does not do
what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her
Types of Character
Main/Major Characters- characters who are central to the conflict.
Minor Characters- characters who are not central to the conflict.
Protagonist- the chief character of a story on which our interests center. The protagonist has a goal to achieve or a problem to overcome in the story.
Antagonist- the character or force that is pitted against the protagonist. The antagonist tries to stop the protagonist from achieving his goal.
Developing/Dynamic Characters- are characters that change their outlook during the story. It is often informative to consider what the change is, what causes it and when the change occurs.
Static Characters- are characters that do not change their outlook during the story.
Round Characters- are “complex in temperament and motivation” and they are as difficult to describe as real people are difficult to describe. They are like people in real life and they are capable of surprising us.
Flat Characters- are built around a single idea or quality. They can be described in a single sentence or phrase.
Stereotypes- are characters that behave according to predictable patterns.
Character Foil- is a character opposite in personality to that of the main character.
Point of View
Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle from which the story is told.
Types of Point of View
First Person - The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc). The reader sees the story through this person’s eyes as he/she experiences it and only knows what he/she knows or feels.
Third Person Omniscient- The author can narrate the story using the omniscient (all knowing) point of view. He can move from character to character, event to event, having free access to the thoughts, feelings and motivations of his characters and he introduces information where and when he chooses.
Third Person Limited Omniscient - The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc). We know only what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author chooses to reveal them to us.
Theme
The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight. It is the author’s underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey. The theme may be the author’s thoughts about a topic or view of human nature.
Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are: - things are not always as they appear to be
- Love is blind - Don’t judge a book by its cover - Believe in yourself - People are afraid of change
Tone
The author’s attitude towards their subject.
Mood
The dominant feeling/ emotion or affect the reader gets from the story
Atmopsphere
The overall feeling of the story achieved through feeling
