Short Story Techniques

Question 1

What is a Short Story?

Answer 1

A short story is a work of short, narrative prose that is usually centered around one single event. It is limited in scope and has an introduction, body and conclusion.

Question 2

When thinking of Setting, what should one look for?

Answer 2

One should look for how the setting is created e.g. Geography, weather, time of day etc. and look at the role that the setting takes in the story. One should also look at the time it is set in.

Question 3

When thinking of Characterisation, what should one look for?

Answer 3

One should investigate the way they speak, the physical appearances, the stereotypes and the way they change.

Question 4

Characterization

Answer 4

The methods a writer uses to communicate information about characters to readers.

Question 5

Direct Characterization

Answer 5

When an author tells the reader directly about a character.

Question 6

Indirect Characterization

Answer 6

When the author shows the character in action and lets the reader draw their own conclusions.

Question 7

Climax

Answer 7

The moment when the action comes to its highest point of dramatic conflict, Most often, the climax occurs before the actual ending of the story.

Question 8

Complication

Answer 8

Any obstacle that increases tension of the story conflict.

Question 9

Conflict

Answer 9

The central source of tension and drama in the story. Conflict is sometimes referred to as the story problem.

Question 10

Description

Answer 10

Verbal representation of characters, scene, or action, used to make the story more vivid for the reader.

Question 11

Dialogue

Answer 11

The actual words that characters speak. Authors use dialogue skillfully in the short story to portray character to dramatize conflict.

Question 12

Diction

Answer 12

The author’s choice of word’s, the vocabulary level of the story.

Question 13

Dramatic Irony

Answer 13

A technique that increases suspense by letting readers know more about the dramatic situation than the characters know,

Question 14

Exposition

Answer 14

Background material about the characters, setting and dramatic situation which the author introduces the essentials of the story to the reader.

Question 15

Falling Action

Answer 15

the part of the story, following the climax and leading to the resolution, in which there is a sharp decline in dramatic tension.

Question 16

Foreshadowing

Answer 16

A writing technique that gives clues about events that will happen later in the story.

Question 17

Hyperbole

Answer 17

An exaggerated statement used to make a strong effect.

Question 18

Imagery

Answer 18

The use of selected details to describe one thing in terms of another. This helps suggest additional meaning and feelings.

Question 19

Verbal Irony

Answer 19

A particular tone created when the speaker intends a meaning that is opposite to the words he or she says. Hyperbole and understatements are figures of speech used to create an ironic effect.

Question 20

Mood

Answer 20

The overall feeling - light and happy or dark and brooding, for example - created by an author’s choice of words.

Question 21

Narrator

Answer 21

The speaker who tells the story. If the narrator is also a character who participates in the story, it is important not to confuse the narrator with the author - who may, in fact, hold a different attitude toward the story.

Question 22

Point of View

Answer 22

The perspective from which the story is told, Point of view is said to be omniscient if the author is outside the story and presents the thought of all the characters. Point of view is called limited when the story is told from the viewpoint of one character who can see only a part of the whole story.

Question 23

Protagonist

Answer 23

The central character of the story.

Question 24

Resolution

Answer 24

The conclusion of the story. The resolution includes the story’s action after the climax until the end of the story.

Question 25

Rising Action

Answer 25

The part of the story, including exposition, in which the tension rises. Rising action builds to its highest point of tension at the story’s climax.

Question 26

Setting

Answer 26

The environment in which the story takes place.

Question 27

Structure

Answer 27

The framework that determines how a story is put together - its ‘skeleton’ The structure of many stories includes four basic parts: exposition, complication, climax and resolution.

Question 28

Style

Answer 28

The characteristic ways that an individual author uses language - including word choice, length and complexity of sentences, patterns of sound and use of imagery and symbols.

Question 29

Suspense

Answer 29

Techniques used by the author to keep readers interested in the story and wondering what will happen next.

Question 30

Symbol

Answer 30

An image, object, character or action that stands for an idea (or ideas) beyond its literal meaning.

Question 31

Theme

Answer 31

The story’s main ideas - the ‘message’ that the author intends to communicate by telling the story. Themes are often universal truths that are suggested by the specifics in the story.

Question 32

Tone

Answer 32

The clues in a story that suggest the writer’s (or narrator’s) own attitude toward elements of his or her story.

Question 33

Understatement

Answer 33

A figure of speech in which the speaker says less than what he or she actually feels.

Question 34

What to think of when analyzing Imagery

Answer 34

What is the literary device and how does it affect the reader? Does it build?

Question 35

Narrator

Answer 35

The speaker who tells the story. If the narrator is also a character who participates in the story, it is important not to confuse the narrator with the author, who may in fact hold a different attitude towards the story.

Question 36

Point of View

Answer 36

The perspective from which the story is told.

Question 37

Omniscient narration

Answer 37

Also known as ‘eye-of-God’ narration, this happens when the story is told from a perspective that is outside of the story by a speaker who knows everything about what is to happen and the characters.

Question 38

Third person limited narration

Answer 38

This may be a character in the story or not, but is clear from the story that the speaker does not have all of the information about the story being told.

Question 39

First person narration

Answer 39

When somebody within the story is telling the story from their perspective.

Question 40

Direct Discourse

Answer 40

Dialogue that is reported exactly as it appears in the conversation.

Question 41

Indirect Discourse

Answer 41

Dialogue that is reported, but sounds more like a description of what is said than a reporting of it.

Question 42

Free Indirect Discourse

Answer 42

When information is shared in a story that is clearly coming from the character’s perspective because it uses the language of the character.

Question 43

Stream of Conciousness

Answer 43

When the language of the character is used and moves according to their thoughts.