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English 20-1 > Short story theory > Flashcards

Short story theory Flashcards

1
Q

What is a prose?

A

All words, spoken or written which are not patterned into recurring metric or rhythmic units called verse. It will appear in sentence/paragraph form

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2
Q

What are the two main types of prose literature?

A

Non-fiction, Fiction

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3
Q

What is non-fiction?

A

-It is real
-It contains facts drawn from research, current events, history, literature
-Its main purpose is to inform or to explain
-It includes works such as textbooks, journals, articles, etc

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4
Q

What is Fiction?

A

-It does not relate to “pure” facts
-It is creative and imaginative
-It is dramatic; ideas and themes are conveyed through the specific actions and dialogues of the characters and symbolic images or objects in the novel or the short story
-It helps readers to understand life’s experiences
-Its main purpose is to entertain
-It can be a long work such as a novel or a short story work

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5
Q

What are the 7 basic characteristics of a short story?

A

-Can generally be read in one sitting
-Has one main incident causing one main conflict
-Has usually one or two main characters
-has usually one main theme
-Has usually one main setting
-Usually captures the reader’s attention immediately
-Edgar Allan Poe believed that a short story should leave the reader feeling satisfied and therefore should have a definite ending

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6
Q

What is escapist?

A

Written purely for entertainment, meant to give the reader pleasure, takes the reader away from the world and helps them escape their daily problems

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7
Q

What is interpretive?

A

Written for entertainment but also aims to deepen and sharpen a reader’s interpretation of life, it should give a reader pleasure and information, takes a reader deeper into the real world and give them insight into an aspect of human life/behaviour

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8
Q

What is theme?

A

-The controlling idea or central insight of a piece of fiction
-The unifying generalization about life stated or implied by the story. It is universally applicable to other human beings and situations

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9
Q

What is plot?

A

-The plot refers to the sequence of related incidents or events outlining the protagonist’s conflict in the short story
-It is the verbal and/or physical action of a story

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10
Q

What is the two main forces in the plot?

A

Protagonist and Antagonist

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11
Q

What is the protagonist?

A

The central character, likely has a mixture of strengths and weaknesses

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12
Q

What is the antagonist?

A

The force against the main character, does not have to be human it could be death, a machine, the weather, an animal, the devil, an illness, or any other challenge that prevents the main character from living “happily ever after”

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13
Q

What are the 5 stages of the plot in order?

A

Introduction, Rising action, Climax, Falling action, Conclusion

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14
Q

What is the introduction?

A

It is where:
-The reader’s interest is captured
-Antecedent action may be given
-The point of view is established
-The setting is introduced
-The mood is set
-The atmosphere is created
-The main characters are introduced

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15
Q

What is the rising action?

A

The complicating or initial incident which initiates the conflict begins this stage, complications are any events within the plot which prevent the protagonist from reaching his/her goal

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16
Q

What are the 4 types of conflicts?

A

-Man vs Man conflict
-Man vs the Environment
-Man vs the Supernatural
-Man vs Himself

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17
Q

What is the man vs man conflict?

A

The main character struggles against some other person or group of people

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18
Q

What is the man vs the supernatural conflict?

A

The main character is in conflict with some supernatural force

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19
Q

What is the man vs the environment conflict?

A

The main character is in conflict with some external force, like nature, society, “fate”, or technology

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20
Q

What is the man vs himself conflict?

A

The main character may be in conflict with some element in his/her own nature

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21
Q

What is the climax?

A

It is the turning point in the conflict, it may or may not be the point of highest intensity

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22
Q

What is the falling action?

A

The series of events that help to resolve the loose ends of the story

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23
Q

What is the conclusion?

A

The protagonist’s conflict is resolved ending in success or failure

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24
Q

What are the 5 main types of ending?

A

Happy, Unhappy, Surprise, Cliffhanger

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25
What is a happy ending?
The protagonist reaches his/her goal in the story and it does not have to satisfy readers
26
What is a unhappy ending?
The protagonist fails to reach his/her goal
27
What is a surprise ending?
The story ends with an unexpected event
28
What is a cliff hanger ending?
The story ends without resolving the protagonist's conflict
29
What is Deus Ex Machina?
"God out of a machine" meaning that the conflict is resolved from a highly unlikely event just in time to save the day
30
What is the setting?
Involves the time and place of the plot
31
What is the two types of time in settings?
Chronological and historical
32
What is chronological time?
Month, day, and year
33
What is historical time?
A particular time made famous in history
34
What is the two types of place in settings?
Specific and geographical
35
What is specific place?
A room, a street (no name given to pinpoint geographical location)
36
What is geographical place?
Location can be found on a map
37
What is the atmosphere?
-The writers description of the physical surroundings or environment -Usually sets up expectations in the reader about the outcome of an even or conflict -Created through dialogue, description, diction or imagery
38
What is the mood?
The reader's feeling created by the combination of details and methods the writer has used
39
What is the tone?
The writer's attitude toward his/her subject and audience, tone can be manipulated by the author in many ways including the use of sharp contrast, certain words, ironic statements, figurative language, point of view and punctuation
40
What is characterization?
A method for revealing the special qualities of a character
41
What is direct characterization?
The author clearly states it
42
What is indirect characterization?
-Interpreted based on what the character says -Interpreted based on what the character does -Interpreted based on what the character thinks -Interpreted based on what others say/thinks about that character -Interpreted based on the character's appearance
43
What is a plausible character?
A convincing and believable character
44
What are the 5 main character types?
Flat, round, stock, static, dynamic
45
What is a flat character?
-Have few personality traits -Generally build around a single idea or quality -Presented in outline form (not to much detail given) -Usually minor characters who can be described in a single phrase or sentence
46
What is a round character?
-Have many personality traits -Are as complex as real people -Their motivations and temperaments are complicated -The degree to which a character is round depends on his/her function in the plot
47
What is a stock character?
-Are so stereotyped that they are known immediately by the reader -They occur again and again in particular types of literature
48
What is a static character?
They do not change their viewpoints or personality throughout the story
49
What is a dynamitic character?
They undergo a significant, radical, and lasting change in viewpoint and personality in the story
50
What are the four main types of irony?
Situational, dramatic, cosmic, and verbal
51
What is situational irony?
The opposite of what is expected happens
52
What is dramatic irony?
When a character says, thinks or does the opposite from what the readers or the characters speaking, thinking or doing the action is unaware of it
53
What is cosmic irony?
A supernatural force tricks a character and sets the character up for a fall
54
What is verbal irony?
There is a difference between what is meant and said
55
What is the 6 main types of point of view?
First person major, first person minor, third person objective, third person omniscient, third person limited omniscient, third person centered omniscient
56
What is first person major?
Narrator is a major character
57
What is first person minor?
Narrator is a minor character
58
What is third person objective?
No thoughts are revealed
59
What is third person omniscient?
Know the thoughts of all major and minor characters at some point in time
60
What is third person limited omniscient?
Know the thoughts of some characters at some point in time
61
What is third person centered omniscient?
Know the thoughts of all main characters at some point in time
62
What is a flashback?
The story will focus on the present and periodically moves back to key moments in the past
63
What is a motif?
A recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature
64
What is foreshadowing?
Clues in the story which hint of something positive or negative which will happen later
65
What is foreboding?
Clues in the story which hint of something negative which will happen later
66
What is dramatic/character foil?
Similarities between two or more characters are established to emphasize their differences
67
What is poetic justice?
A literary outcome where characters receive their just reward or punishment for deeds done
68
What is a hero?
Heroes are protagonists which possess typical heroic qualities like noble, daring, intelligent, etc
69
What is a anti-hero?
A protagonist with anti-heroic qualities

English 20-1 (7 decks)

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