1. Unit 1: Short Story
Fiction

2. Literary Terms for Fiction
fiction: prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events
prose: ordinary form of written language (NOT poetry)
short story: a brief work of fiction; one main character faces a conflict that is resolved

3. 4. plot - a sequence of events in a literary work diagram:
a. exposition: introduces the characters, setting and basic situation
b. conflict: a struggle between opposing forces
- internal: A struggle WITHIN a character (human vs. him/herself)
- external: a struggle between two characters or between a character and an element of nature (human vs. human, human vs. nature, human vs. society)
c. rising action: series of events after the conflict is revealed—leads up to the climax
d. climax: the turning point of the story; the highest point of interest or suspense
e. falling action: a series of events that occur following the climax— leading to the resolution
f. resolution: the part of the plot that shows how the central conflict is resolved.

4. 8. point of view: the voice from which a story is being told
5. theme: the author’s central message or insight into life revealed through a literary work
6. irony: literary techniques that portray a difference between appearances and reality, expectation and result, or meaning and intention.
7. suspense: a feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events
8. point of view: the voice from which a story is being told
-third-person narration: a voice outside the story narrates (omniscient or limited)
-first-person narration: a character IN the story tells the story; use of the pronouns I and me. (The reader sees and hears only what this character sees and hears.)
9. character: a person or animal that takes part in the action of a literary work
dynamic character: a character that develops and grows throughout the course of the story. (CHANGES)
static character: a character that does NOT change throughout the course of the story. (static = stays the same)
round character: shows many personality traits
flat character: shows only one trait

5. 10. characterization: the act of creating and developing a character
- direct characterization: the writer directly states the character’s personality traits
- indirect characterization: the writer develops a character through his or her actions, words, physical description, and other characters’ reactions to him or her. (It is up to the reader to draw conclusions about a character and his or her personality based on this INDIRECT information.)

6. 11. mood: the feeling created in the reader through a literary work 12
11. mood: the feeling created in the reader through a literary work 12. tone: the writer’s attitude toward his/her subject (toward the characters and what happens) 13. symbol: anything that stands for or represents something else—something concrete that represents something abstract. 14. foreshadowing: the use of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur (author gives hints about something that is going to happen)