S HORT S TORY L ITERARY T ERMS Vocabulary, ENG 10

P ROTAGONIST The main character in a story. Example: Katniss Everdeen is the protagonist in The Hunger Games.

A NTAGONIST The character who is against the protagonist or hero. Example: The Joker is the antagonist in the movie The Dark Knight because he is trying to destroy Batman.

E XPOSITION Is at the beginning of a story and introduces the setting and the characters.

R ISING A CTION The events in a story that lead up to the climax.

CLIMAX The main turning point in a story. The point of most tension. Example: The climax in “Harrison Bergeron” is when Harrison and the ballerina kiss on the ceiling.

F ALLING A CTION The events in a story, that come after the climax.

R ESOLUTION The part of the story's plot line in which the problem of the story is resolved or worked out. It is at the end.

T HEME The main message or moral of a story. Example: One of the themes in “Harrison Bergeron”, is Equality.

C ONFLICT The struggle between two characters or forces. Internal conflict is a struggle a character has with himself; external conflict is with another character or force. Example: Harrison’s conflict was with the government.

S ETTING Where and when a story takes place Example: “The year was 2081 and everybody was finally equal.”