Grade 11 – Short Stories Glossary Elements of the Short Story Plot: the structure of a story; the sequence of events or actions that take place in the story. Intro (exposition)‐ should spark interest, provide background information and establish the setting Motivating Incident ‐ the event that begins the story’s action Rising Action ‐ a series of obstacles or problems that lead to the climax Climax ‐ the high point of tension or suspense in a story; usually marks the turning point for the protagonist. Falling Action ‐ deals with the effects that the climax has on the characters Conclusion (denouement) ‐ briefly explains any details that require further clarification Character: the people, animals etc. who perform the actions of the story. Protagonist ‐ the main character in the story ‐ can be good or evil Antagonist ‐ the character or force opposing the antagonist Round ‐ a character that is well developed or well rounded Flat ‐ a character that only shows one or two aspects Static ‐ a character that does not change ‐ often used for contrast Dynamic ‐ a character that changes in a significant way during the story or a character that learns something significant Stereotyped (stock) ‐ a character immediately identified with a group (evil step‐mother, the smart geek etc.) Foil: A character that is used to contrast with another character Eg. In Cinderella, the ugly stepsisters are foils to Cinderella and their differences emphasize Cinderella’s sweetness and virtue. Characterization: The method an author uses to describe or create a distinctive character. DIRECT Characterization: 1. Author’s judgments ‐ the author will tell the reader what the character is like INDIRECT Characterization: 2. Character’s actions ‐ we see what he/she is like 3. Character’s statements ‐ reader makes judgments from characters comments 4. What others say about the character 5. Inconsistencies in # 1‐4 ‐ eg. If a character always promises to be good but his actions contradict his statements, the reader knows the character cannot be trusted Setting: the time and place where the events of the story take place. Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, Italy during the Middle Ages Mood/ Atmosphere: the emotional tone of the story. What effect does the author wish to produce (humour, suspense, curiosity, anger etc)? Theme : the central idea behind the story. The theme is more than a moral; it is a general comment or observation on human behavior rather than a summary A theme should meet the following requirements: a. The theme must be expressed as a complete sentence b. The theme must be stated as a generalization about life rather than referring specifically to the characters in the story c. The theme should not generalize beyond what can be justified by the story. Qualify your statements carefully and avoid words like every, all, never, etc. d. The theme must account for all of the major details of the story and must not be contradicted by any detail of the story. e. The theme should not be reduced to a cliché or moral that we have heard all our lives. Conflict: Occurs when the protagonist is opposed by some person or force in a story. Can be internal or external. Character vs. Character/ self / environment Resolution: the point in the story where the conflict is resolved Narrator: the teller of the story. The narrator may or may not be a character in the story. There are two basic types: A. First person ‐ gives a personal account of events B. Third person ‐ tells what happens to others Point of View: the perspective from which the story is told by the narrator A. First person – I did this B. Third person – he said, she did C. Third person omniscient ‐ narrator knows and can tell us everything about any character D. Third person limited omniscient ‐ the narrator knows only partial details eg. one characters thoughts and feelings E. Objective ‐ presents information without comment and lets the reader draw his / her own conclusions CLASSIFICATIONS Autobiography: An account of someone’s life written by that person. Biography: An account of a person’s life written by another person. Comedy: Is a type of fiction or drama that depicts humorous plots where the protagonist is faced with a light‐hearted challenge and in the end overcomes it and the story or play ends happily. Diary: A personal journal or written account of experiences, feelings, or observations. Drama: A piece of writing, especially with a serious topic, that is intended to be acted out for presentation to an audience. Eg. A theatrical play, a TV show, a webcast drama Editorial: An article that gives opinions or perspectives on a topic Escape literature: is written purely for entertainment Fantasy: A highly exaggerated or improbably story. Elements of the story transcend the bounds of reality. Fiction: Not historically or factually true. An invented story. Genre: Genre means “type” or “kind,” as in “what kind of novel do you like?” Eg. Mystery, Horror etc. Interpretive literature: written to broaden, deepen and sharpen our awareness of life. Interpretive literature, through our imagination, takes us deeper into the real world. It enables us to understand our problems Mystery: A type of fiction whose plot centers around solving a crime or understanding a puzzling event. Myth: A traditional story about heroes or supernatural beings that attempts to explain natural phenomena or human behaviors and beliefs. Narration: A style of writing that tells a story; a narrative style can be used in a novel, short story, poem, or essay where the writer is telling a story or recounting events. Novel: A long narrative, usually containing multiple characters, events and crises. Novelle or Novella: A longer short story, but not as long as one would expect from a novel Parody: A parody, in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, or author, by means of humorous or satirical imitation. Prose: Ordinary writing as distinguished from verse Propaganda: Information or ideas that are spread for the purpose of promoting some person or group’s opinions. Propaganda is usually misleading as not other perspectives are considered. Romance: A narrative characterized by exotic adventure rather than by the realistic depiction of character and scene usually associated with a novel Satire: A way of writing to make fun of a person, topic or human quality by making it appear ridiculous. This often involves the use of irony or sarcasm. Eg. The John Stewart Show Suspense: A feeling of curiosity or expectation about events to follow or an outcome in a story. The tension an author creates in a story or narrative poem. As a reader, you want to know what will happen next. Tragedy: A story or play in which the main character is brought to death or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a result of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or an inability to manage bad circumstances. Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet LITERARY DEVICES Allegory: A form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative are equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy. Thus, an allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning. Allusion: A reference to or representation of a well‐known person, place, event, literary work or work of art. Antihero: A protagonist who does not have typical hero characteristics. The antihero could be a comical representation of a hero. Audience: The person or group of people that a writer or author is writing for. The Vancouver Sun is for news readers while The Province is for sports fans. Catastrophe: In a drama, particularly tragedy, the concluding action following the climax that contains the resolution of the plot. Character Sketch: A description of a character’s moral and behavioural qualities that also contains examples and quotations from the story. It does not normally describe the character’s physical appearance. Cliché: A metaphor, simile, or saying that has become so overused that it is no longer unique. Love conquers all, / strong as a bull Comic relief: A comic episode or element inserted in an otherwise serious or tragic play to provide some relief from the heavy mood. Dialogue: Conversation between characters. Diction: A style of speaking or writing deliberately chosen for a particular effect. Dilemma: a position in which the character must choose between two courses of action, both of which are undesirable Epiphany: A sudden understanding of the essential nature or meaning of something. It is often associated with the divine. Flashback: Where a writer presents information that happened before the story begins. It can occur in dreams, memory of the past or in stories of past events Foreshadowing: a warning or hint for the reader about incidents that follow. Eg. In Mice and Men Lennie’s incident in Weed foreshadows his actions in chapter 4. Hero (or Heroine): Usually the main character who faces adversity and who develops as a result of this adversity. Inference: To gain meaning from something that is not directly stated. Irony: A device by which a writer expresses meaning contradictory to the stated or ostensible one. There are three main types: 1. Verbal Irony: The speaker (or narrator) says something that is the opposite of what s/he means. (Understatement, Overstatement, Sarcasm 2. Dramatic Irony: The reader (or audience0 is aware of information that the character is not. 3. Situational Irony: The most sophisticated and powerful forms of irony. This occurs when a set of circumstances turns out to be the reverse of those anticipated or appropriate. The reader or audience is surprised. Juxtaposition: Contrast. Two situations are located together in order to compare their similarities and/or differences. Jargon: Specialized language often characteristic of a particular subject. Using jargon should be avoided when writing for most audiences. Eg. How many megs do you have in your computer? Microcosm: Literally, “small world.” An isolated, self‐contained setting in which the human activity is actually representative of human behaviour or the human condition in the world as a whole. Monologue: A passage in drama in which a single actor speaks alone to the audience. Motif: a subset of theme – a reappearing object or idea that is symbolic of something Moral: A “lesson” in a literary work which is either implied or stated. This is not the same as Theme Narrator: A character in the story who tells the story. In all works other than autobiographies, the narrator is not the author. Parallelism: The effective use of words, phrases, sentences, or ideas that are parallel or have a similar structure in order to heighten the focus. Eg. Have you ever thought of what it is like to fly, to hope, to dream? Persona: The person created by the author to tell a story. Whether the story is told by an omniscient narrator or by a character in it, the actual author of the work often distances himself from what is said or told by adopting a persona‐‐a personality different from his real one. Thus, the attitudes, beliefs, and degree of understanding expressed by the narrator may not be the same as those of the actual author. Purpose: The anticipated outcome that drives your course of action. In writing, your purpose may be to inform or persuade your audience about a given topic. Red Herring: A false lead, assumed outcome or obvious solution that a writer plants in a story to fool the audience from guessing the real outcome. Repetition: A literary device that involves the repeating or of words, phrases, or structures for a desired effect. Eg. I came, I saw, I conquered Sarcasm: A form of irony whereby a person or writer says or writes the opposite of what is meant. Eg. That was fun! (When the speaker means the event was boring.) Slang: Words that are used popularly, or in a particular class of society, but are not generally acknowledged as correct English. Eg. Calling a car a “beater” is slang and means that it is old and undependable. Soliloquy: In drama, lines spoken by a character to him or herself rather than to another character. The character is “thinking aloud” in order to reveal information about him/herself or an event that the audience needs to know. Speaker: An imaginary voice taken on by a poet to tell you a poem. Do not assume that the speaker of a poem or story is the author. Stream of consciousness: A style of fictional writing that reveals the random thoughts and actions of a character as a continuous flow. Style: A distinctive way in which a writer uses language, both choice and arrangement of words. Style is the way authors express what they have to say. Eg. Formal / familiar / plain / complex Subplot: A second complete story is interwoven with the events of the main plot. The subplot may offer a comic variation of the main plot, or it may offer a serious counterpoint to it. Symbol / ism: An object that represents or stand in for a more abstract idea; Yellow rose = friendship; Dove = peace Thesis: A written statement in an essay that outlines the purpose or topic of the paper. Tone: Expresses the author’s attitude toward his or her subject; the words a writer carefully uses will help you identify tone. Eg. Bitter, angry, sarcastic Voice: The dominant tone of a literary work that underlies the character or narrator.
