short story unit test Flashcards
Allegory
A story or narrative in which a moral principle or abstract truth is presented by means of fiction, characters, or events
Alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Allusion
A brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or fictional, or to a work of art. An allusion may be drawn from history, geography, literature, or religion.
Example: She was no scrooge, ref to a christmas carol
Antagonist
The force(s) that works against the protagonist, such as other people, things, society, or themselves
Aside
a remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play.
Atmosphere
the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art.
Ballad
a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas.
Bias
prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
Blank (or free) Verse
verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter.
Climax
The turning point in the story or the point when the conflict is resolved
Connotation
What the word infers or suggests
example: snake=evil
Character
Direct: The author specifically reveals traits about the character in a direct, straightforward manner
Indirect: shows the character’s personality with speech or implicit thoughts, actions and how other characters see you
Cliché
a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.
Climax
the point in the story where the conflict is resolved
Colloquial
used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary.
Comedy
professional entertainment consisting of jokes and satirical sketches, intended to make an audience laugh
Conflict
A disagreement between two sides
Internal: Man Vs. Him/herself.
External: Man vs. Man/Environment/Society/Unknown/Supernatural
Consonance
agreement or compatibility between opinions or actions.
Denotation
The literal meaning or definition of a word. Example: snake=reptile
Dilemma
A situation in which a character must chose between two different paths of action which are undesirable
Direct presentation
The narrator tells the reader everything about the character.
Dramatic or objective POV
The opposite of the omniscient point of view, Like a roving camera, or fly on the wall where the events are recorded without judgement or comment. Few past, future, feelings, thoughts. The readers must judge themselves
Dynamic Character
A character that changes during the story
Falling action
Part of the plot which occurs after the climax
First person POV
The narrator tells the story in the first person “I”. The reader sees and knows only as much as the narrator.
Flashback
When the present action in a story is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events.
Flat character
A character with one or two traits
Foreshadowing
Hints or clues to help the reader anticipate the outcome of the story
Indirect Presentation
When we know about a character by what they say, do, think, and how others react to them
Irony
conveying a reality different from and usually opposite to appearance/expectation
Verbal irony: When someone says the opposite of what they mean
ex: sarcasm
Situational irony: The opposite of what was intended to happen happens.
ex: a professional pickpocket gets pick pocketed
Dramatic irony: Irony that is said and grasped by the audience, but not the characters
Limited Omniscient POV
he author tells the story in the third person, but he 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.
Plot
the sequence of events in a story:
- intro
- rising action
3: climax - falling action
- Conclusion or denouement
POV
Who is telling the story
Protagonist
The central character/ who the conflict surrounds
Resolution
follows the climax, part or all of the falling action
rising action
series of steps that build up to the climax. The rising action begins with an initial incident
round character
A character who is complex and many sided; presented in detail
Sarcasm
aka verbal irony, where someone says the opposite of what they mean, usually a cutting or sneering remark
Satire
ridiculing the faults of humanity, but always in the interest of society
Setting
refers to time, place and mood
Static character
does not change or grow over the course of the story
Stock or stereotyped character
A flat character who is a certain type
ex: nerd or jock
Suspense
A narrative technique where the author creates uncertainty about what will happen next/the outcome of the story. Resolved at the climax
Symbolism
Something that means more than what appears. Can be an object, person, situation, or an action which has a literal meaning but suggests or represents other meanings as well.
Theme
The central idea of a story. Not usually stated by the author. The reader must discover the theme by questioning and examining the meaning of the story.
dissonance
a tension or clash resulting from the combination of two disharmonious or unsuitable elements.
Exposition
a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory.
Foil character
a foil is a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character
hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Imagery
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.
Metaphor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable
simile
a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ).
Onomatopoeia
the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle ).
Oxymoron
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
Paradox
A statement that is self-contradictory
Personification
turning an inhuman object with human like characteristics
rhyme scheme
the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse.
refrain
a repeated line or number of lines in a poem or song, typically at the end of each verse
sonnet
a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line.
A stanza
A verse
