Short story terms/Literary Devices

Question 1

Antagonist

Answer 1

the force working against the protagonist, such as other people, things, society or themselves

Question 2

two types of conflict

Answer 2

internal conflict= man vs. himself

external conflict= - man vs. man or society or unknown

Question 3

Connotation

Answer 3

what a word infers or suggests

Question 4

Contrast

Answer 4

Stress the differences of things, qualities, events or problems

Question 5

Denotation

Answer 5

the literal meaning or definition of a word

Question 6

Description

Answer 6

to describe someone you explain: your relationship to them, their physical characteristics, personality traits, their job and what way they are special

Question 7

Direct presentation

Answer 7

the narrator tells the reader everything about the character

Question 8

Dramatic or objective point of view

Answer 8

the opposite of omniscient point of view. like a reporter or fly on the wall where everything is recorded without bias or comment. Only the present is given; very little of the future or past.

Question 9

Dynamic Character

Answer 9

A character that changes during the story

Question 10

Falling Action

Answer 10

Part of the plot, which occurs after the climax

Question 11

First Person Point of View

Answer 11

the narrator tells the story in the first person “I”. The reader sees and knows only as much as the narrator

Question 12

Flashback

Answer 12

When the present action in a story is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events

Question 13

Flat Character

Answer 13

A character with one or two traits

Question 14

Foil Character

Answer 14

a character that serves by contrast to stress opposing traits in another character

Question 15

Foreshadowing

Answer 15

hints or clues to help the radar anticipate the outcome of the story

Question 16

Indirect Presentation

Answer 16

When we know about a character by what he or says, does, or thinks or by how others react to the character

Question 17

What are the three types of irony

Answer 17

verbal, situational, dramatic

Question 18

verbal irony

Answer 18

when someone says something but means the other (sarcasm)

Question 19

situational irony

Answer 19

example: a pickpocket has his own pocket picked as he is in the act of picking someone else’s pocket
example 2: a winning lotto ticket is found in the pocket of someone dead

Question 20

dramatic irony

Answer 20

a type of irony that is used in theatres where the audience understands something but the characters don’t yet

Question 21

Limited omniscient point of view

Answer 21

the author tells the story in the third person, but e tells it from the viewpoint of one character in the story. In effect the author stands by the side of the character and presents the story through their eyes.

Question 22

Narrator

Answer 22

the person telling the story

Question 23

Omniscient Point of View

Answer 23

the author tells the story in the third person and he knows everything about all the characters

Question 24

plot

Answer 24

the sequencing of events in a story

Question 25

the five parts of the plot

Answer 25

1. introduction
2. rising action
3. climax
4. falling action
5. conclusion or denouement

Question 26

point of view

Answer 26

who is telling the story

Question 27

protagonist

Answer 27

the central character in the story

Question 28

resolution

Answer 28

the point of closure in a story, when the main problem has been worked out. this is at the end of the story (aka conclusion)

Question 29

Rising Action

Answer 29

Part of the plot; a series of steps that develops the conflict as it builds to a climax. The rising action begins with an initial incident

Question 30

Round character

Answer 30

A character who is complex and many sided; presented in detail

Question 31

Sarcasm

Answer 31

verbal irony, when a someone says something but means the other. is a cutting or sneering remark

Question 32

Satire

Answer 32

a form of irony that ridicules the faults of humanity , but always in the interest of society

Question 33

Setting

Answer 33

refers to the time place and mood of the story

Question 34

Static Character

Answer 34

does not grow or change over the course of the story

Question 35

Stereotyped Character

Answer 35

a flat character who is a certain type. Ex: jock or nerd

Question 36

Suspense

Answer 36

a narrative technique where the author creates uncertainty or anxiety in the reader about what will happen in the outcome

Question 37

Theme

Answer 37

the central idea of the story, aka the moral. do not use a cliché