Literary Terms – Short Story Unit
1. Short Story: Brief work of fiction that usually focuses on 1 -2 main characters
who face a single conflict or problem; Typically read in one sitting
2. Fiction: Prose writing that tells an imaginative story; All events and characters
may be invented or some parts of the story may be based on real events and
people
3. Realistic Fiction: Imaginative writing which could be believed to be true; All
elements of the story (characters, plot, setting, conflict, etc.) mirror real life.
4. Fantastic Fiction: Imaginative writing that contains at least one fantastic or
unreal element.
5. Exposition: Background information that is provided early in the story about the
characters, setting, tone, and dramatic situation with which the author introduces
the essentials of the story to the reader.
6. Setting: Time and place of the story; Can include geographic location, historical
period, time of day, season of the year, and the customs/manners of a society.
7. Characterization: Techniques that the author uses to create and develop
characters, including: defining the character’s role in story; physical appearance;
development of personality (revealed by thoughts, actions, dialogue); description
of how other characters react and feel about them; defining character’s primary
motivation, etc.
8. Character: A person, animal, or imaginary creature participating in a literary
work.
9. Protagonist: The main/central character in a literary work; Usually the reader
identifies or feels sympathy for them.
10. Antagonist: Character or force in conflict with and working against the main
character; Could be another character, force of nature, society, or even something
within the main character.
11. Narrator: Person telling the story (different than the author – who writes the
story)
12. Point of View: The perspective in which the story is told.
13. First Person Point of View: Used when the story is revealed by a narrator who
participates in the story as a character; personal pronouns such as I, me, and us
would be used.
14. Third Person Point of View: Used when the story is revealed by a narrator who
does not participate as a character within the story, but rather by an “outside”
voice; Demonstrative pronouns such as he, she, it, and they would be used.
15. Omniscient Point of View: Used when the narrator is “outside” of the story and
presents the thoughts and feelings of more than one character.
16. Limited Point of View: Used when the narrator tells the story from the
viewpoint (thoughts/feelings) of only one character
17. Dialogue: Conversation between 2 or more characters; Words that the characters
speak aloud; Used to bring characters to life and to give readers insights into the
character’s thoughts/feelings; Usually set off with quotation marks.
18. Dialect: Form of spoken language that would be specific to a particular
geographic area or by a certain group of people; May feature specific
pronunciations, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar. (Urban, Southern, Bostonian)
19. Jargon: Specialized vocabulary for a particular group of people that would not
necessarily be well known to people outside of that group. (golfer’s – par, bogie,
birdie)
20. Plot: The series of related actions which make up the work of fiction; Typically a
well-developed plot will begin with an exposition, and a defined conflict, climax,
and resolution will follow.
21. Conflict: The struggle between opposing forces which make up the general
problem of the story; Usually the source of tension and drama of the story.
22. Internal Conflict: Problem or struggle exists within the protagonist
23. External Conflict: Problem or struggle exists between the protagonist and
another character or force.
24. Rising Action: Refers to events which move the plot forward, building towards
the climax; Usually involves several complications and the conflict.
25. Climax: The turning point and the moment of greatest suspense or maximum
interest in the story; Usually occurs near the end of the story after the conflict is
fully understood and the reader identifies with the character(s).
26. Resolution/Falling Action/Denouement: Outcome of the plot and the way in
which the author ends/solves the conflict; Usually occurs after the climax.
27. Theme: Central idea or meaningful message presented in a literary work;
Usually about life or human nature; Often the message needs to be inferred
(conclusion reached by examining lessons learned by the main character or
meaningful experiences of the main character that can be applied to life or to all
people).
28. Tone: Expresses the author’s attitude toward the characters or subject matter of
the literary work.
29. Mood: Intentional atmosphere created in a literary work that provokes specific
feelings or an overall feeling in a reader.
30. Foreshadowing: Actions or clues provided to the reader that hints or suggests
future events in the story; Creates suspense while preparing the reader for future
happenings.
31. Flashback: Sudden shifting backwards in time (interruption to the story’s
timeline) to relay events that occurred at an earlier time; usually done to provide
background information needed to better understand a character or situation
unfolding in the story.
32. Hook: An early event in the story that grabs the reader’s attention to insure
interest in reading the rest of the story.
33. Complication: A minor problem(s) presented in the story in addition to the
conflict.
34. Symbolism: Something that is meaningful in its own literal sense, yet standing
for something else at the same time; A person, place, object, or action that stands
for something beyond itself. (dove – peace)
35. Irony: Contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually does exist
of happen; Usually involves something unexpected and humorous.
36. Contrast: Process of pointing out differences between two things
37. Allusion: Reference in a literary work to something famous or well known; such
as another character, a person, a place, an event, a piece of art.
38. Paradox: A statement that contains an apparent contradiction, yet also seems to
be true at the same time. (“The more a man learns, the more he realizes how little
he knows.”)
39. Motivation: Values, desires, and/or beliefs that cause a character to act the way
that they do; Reasons why a character thinks, behaves, and feels a certain way.
40. Suspense: Curiosity aroused in a reader; Feelings of growing tension and/or
excitement; Usually created by raising questions about what might happen.