SHORT STORIESLiterary Terms for Fiction

Fiction

Literature in the form of stories that originated in the imagination of the author and are intended to bring entertainment to the reader.

Characters

Characters: the people, animals. or imaginary creatures who take part in the action.

Protagonist – the character that is the center of action in the story.

Antagonist: any force that goes up against the protagonist and causes the conflict

Characters can be described as:FLAT: shows only one side of personality;

not well-roundedROUND: shows more than one side of

personality; has depth of emotionSTATIC: no change throughout the story;

does not grow despite eventsDYNAMIC: changes throughout the story;

grows and learns from events

CHARACTERS…………….

MOTIVE: the reasons characters act the way they do

TRAITS: the permanent qualities of a character that are revealed through

SpeechAppearancePrivate thoughtsOther character's

opinionsActions

SETTING

TIME and PLACE

◦The setting can be either real or imaginary

◦Often the setting plays a large role as it changes throughout the story

◦Setting can create an atmosphere or mood for the story

SETTING - WHEN

THE PAST TODAY

SETTING - WHERE

CHRISTMAS IN THE NORTH

CHRISTMAS IN THE SOUTH

CONFLICT

A problem or struggle between opposing forces in a piece of literature.

Internal – conflict within a characterExternal- conflict between characters,

nature, or society

PLOT

The sequence of events in the story centered around the conflict

The plot of a story is a series of related events

One event causes an effect. In turn, that effect then becomes the cause of another event, and so on…….

PLOT DEVELOPMENT

Exposition – description and introduction of the characters, setting, and conflict

Rising Action – main character takes action to resolve the conflict and meets more complications and problems; the plot becomes more complex and suspense develops

PLOT….con’t.

Climax – the emotional moment in the story when the outcome of the conflict is finally revealed; the moment that brings about change to the situation that cannot be undone

Falling Action – loose ends are ties up

Resolution (Denouement) –

the end result: “The End”

POINT OF VIEW

NARRATOR FIRST PERSON

THE VOICE OF THE STORY

THE NARRATOR IS A CHARACTER IN THE STORY TALKING TO THE READER (USING PERSONAL PRONOUNS: “I” “ME”);

READERS ONLY KNOW THE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS OF ONE CHARACTER

POINT OF VIEW

THIRD PERSON LIMITED

THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT

THE NARRATOR (NOT A CHARACTER IN THE STORY) ONLY FOCUSES ON ONE CHARACTER; THE READER WITNESSES EVENTS IN THE SAME WAY AS THE CHARACTER DOES

THE NARRATOR IS NOT A CHARACTER, BUT KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERY CHARACTER IN THE STORY

SUBJECT VS THEME

SUBJECT: the topic of the storySimple – stated as the story goes on –

what the story is about

THEME: the meaning, moral, or main message of the story the writer wishes to share with the reader

Complex – requires explanation – not directly stated in the story

THEMEHow to determine theme….Consider meaning of the titleSkim story for key phrases about big ideas

such as freedom, courage, or honestyExamines how the main character changes

throughout the storyDraw conclusions about major events in

the plot

IRONY

IRONYA literary technique that portrays differences between appearance and reality

ORBetween expectation and result

VERBAL IRONY

The real meaning of words are sharply different from the meaning that is supposedly expressed.

”

Verbal Irony…con’t

NOT sarcasm – which is aggressive humor that pokes fun

DRAMATIC IRONY

A contradiction between what a character thinks or believes

ANDWhat the reader or audience know to be true

The evil man lurking behind the door……

SITUATIONAL IRONY

An event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience.

The Wizard of oz

TONE

Tone – the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject and audience

Closely related to VOICE - the personality that a writer shows to readers

Examples: Matter-of-fact/CalmSeriousHumorousFormalAnxiousJudgmental

SYMBOLISM

SYMBOL – a character, place, thing, or event in a literary work that stands for a larger idea.

Examples: a raven symbolizes death a door symbolizes opportunity an eagle symbolizes the U.S.