Short Story Terms Flashcards
Reference to a statement, a person, a place, an event, or anything that is known from literature, history, religion, myth, politics, sports, science, or the arts.
Allusion
Narrative in which characters and settings stand for abstract ideas or moral qualities.
Allegory
Element of uncertainty in a text, in which something can be interpreted in a number of different ways.
Ambiguity
Individual in a story, poem, or play.
Character
Author tells us directly what the character is like
Direct characterization
Must use clues to figure out what a character is like
Indirect characterization
Plays important role in story, but not the main character
Insubordinate character
Does not change much in the story
Static character
Character changes as a result of the story’s action
Dynamic character
Have one or two personality traits - can be summed up in one phrase
Flat character
Struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions.
Conflict
Struggle within a character
Internal conflict
Struggle against an outside force
External conflict
All meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggest
Connotation
Dictionary meaning of a word
Denotation
Way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of people
Dialect
The category that a work of literature is classified under
Genre
Use of clues to hint at what will happen later in the story
Foreshadowing
Contrast between expectation and reality
Irony
What actually happens is opposite of what is expected of appropriate
Situational irony
Speaker says one thing but means the opposite
Verbal irony
When the audience knows something important that a character does not know
Dramatic irony
A story’s atmosphere or the feeling it evokes
Mood
The attitude a writer takes towards a subject, character, or the reader
Tone
