Short Story Literary Terms English

Essential Question What literary devices are used for analyzing short stories?

setting the time and place of the action of a story

theme the central message or insight into life revealed in a literary work

conflict a struggle between two opposing forces –Four Types of Conflict Man vs. Man – External Man vs. Nature – External Man vs. Society – External Man vs. Self – Internal

point of view the vantage point from which the story is told –First person narration: story told from person involved with story “I, me, my” –Second person point of view: direction towards reader “you” –Third person point of view limited: person outside story tells story –Third person omniscient point of view: person inside story tells it

protagonist the main character of a story or literary work

antagonist the character who causes conflict for the main character

plot sequence sequence of events that occur in a story –plot sequence contains: exposition rising Action climax falling Action resolution

exposition the part of a literary work where the setting, characters and basic situation are introduced

rising action the events in the story leading up to the climax

climax highest point of action in a literary work

falling action occurs after the climax, point where the outcome of the story is known

resolution the point of the story where all of the action is known and loose ends are tied up

mood the feeling the reader experiences while reading a literary work

suspense reader’s feeling of curiosity, uncertainty, or anxiety about the outcome of events in a literary work

character characterization the people or animals who participate in the action of a story the author’s development of characters –two types of characterization: direct characterization indirect characterization

direct characterization the author directly states the character’s traits (i.e.-“She was tall with blonde hair.”)

indirect characterization the author tells what a character looks like, does, and says as well as how other characters react to him or her

figurative language language that is not intended to be taken literally

irony when something occurs that is different from what would expect to occur

dramatic irony hints at what is to come in a literary work

verbal irony when something is said, but the opposite is meant

situational irony when something happens that is opposite from what one would expect to happen

dialogue conversation between characters

imagery the use of sensory language to create visual images in a reader’s mind

style the way in which an author writes

symbol and symbolism an ordinary, everyday object used to represent something other than itself

tone the author’s attitude toward his or her audience and subject

foreshadow hints at what is to come in a literary work

flashback glimpses back to previous events

narrator the speaker, or character, who tells the story