Short Story Flashcards
beginning of the story; introduced to characters, setting and background information
expostition
the one event that initiates the conflict
inciting incident
the events containing the conflict which lead up to the climax
rising action
the highest point or turning point of the story
climax
the events after the climax; brings the story to an end
falling action
how the conflict is resolved
resolution/denouement
main characters with many details
round characters
minor characters with little description given
flat characters
a character who changes by the end of the story
dynamic characters
a character who does not change by the end of the story
static characters
the way in which an author describes a character
characterization
where and when the story takes place
setting
the perspective from which the story is told
point of view
one of the characters tells the story ‘I’
first person
told from a group of people collectively ‘we’
first person plural
an outsider tells the story focusing only on one person
third person limited
an outsider tells the story with insight into all characters
third person omniscient
a special mode of narration that undertakes to capture the continuous flow of a character’s mental process where all the thoughts and feelings of a character are revealed without regard to logical argument or narrative sequence
stream of conciousness
the struggle within the story
conflict
man vs self
internal conflict
man vs man, nature/supernatural, society, technology
external conflict
the underlying message in the story
theme
the feeling of the story
mood/atmosphere
the author’s attitude toward the subject of the story
tone
using an object to represent something else
symbolism
a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant
irony
the expectation of and doubt about what is going to happen next
suspense
a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning
allegory
