(Schlomer) Short Story Elements - Vocabulary

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Point of View

Back 1

The perspective or attitude of a narrator of a piece of literature

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First Person Point of View

Back 2

Narration in which the point of view is that of the main character

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Third Person

Back 3

Narration in which the point of view is that of someone outside the story who refers to all characters by name or as "he," "she," and "they".

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Third Person Limited

Back 4

The vantage point in which a narrator tells the story in the third person, but often confines himself or herself to what is experienced thought and felt by a single or limited number of characters

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Third Person Omniscient

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The vantage point in which a narrator is removed from the story knows everything that needs to be known

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Exposition

Back 6

is that part of the story or play, usually the beginning, that explains the background and setting of the story and often introduces the characters

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Character

Back 7

may be flat or round, static or dynamic

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Characterization

Back 8

Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters.
a) his/her physical appearance
b) what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams
c) what he/she does or does not do
d) what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

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Motivation

Back 9

the reason that explains a character's thoughts, feelings, actions, or speech

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Protagonist

Back 10

the main character of the story that has the goal to reach

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Antagonist

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the character who gets in the way of the protagonist and attempts to keep them from reaching their goal

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Dynamic Character

Back 12

a character who undergoes a change during the course of a story

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Static character

Back 13

a character who does not change during a story

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Flat Character

Back 14

a character with only one outstanding trait or feature

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Round Character

Back 15

a character who is complex and multi-dimensional

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Plot

Back 16

the careful sequencing of events in a story generally built around a conflict. Stages of the plot include: exposition (background), rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement (resolution)

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Setting

Back 17

the time and place of the action of a literary work

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Theme

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a topic of discussion or writing; a major idea or proposition broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work or work of art. A theme may be stated or implied.

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Moral

Back 19

is the LESSON the author is trying to teach in the story.

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Conflict

Back 20

the struggle between opposing forces that brings about the action within a story or drama; can be internal (within a character) or external (between a character and an outside force.)

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Internal

Back 21

this shows the main character having a struggle within himself.

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External

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this shows the main character having a struggle with someone or something other than himself - man against nature, man against man, man against society, and man against the unknown.

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Rising Action

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the central part of a story during which problems arise, leading up to the climax.

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Climax

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this is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?

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Falling Action

Back 25

is the part of the story that follows the climax or turning point; it contains the action or dialogue necessary to lead the story to a resolution or ending.

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Resolution

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the point in a literary work at which the chief dramatic complication is resolved

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dialogue

Back 27

a conversation between two or more characters in a work that is used by writers to give insight into the characters themselves

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Foreshadowing

Back 28

the technique of giving clues to coming events in a narrative

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Flashback

Back 29

the technique of stopping the chronological action in a story and shifting to an earlier period to introduce additional information

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Symbol

Back 30

a concrete thing used to suggest something larger and more abstract

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Mood

Back 31

the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for a reader; a reflection of an author's attitude toward a subject or theme

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Tone

Back 32

the reflection of an author's attitude toward his or her subject

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Context Clues

Back 33

information a reader may obtain from a text that helps confirm the meaning of a word or group of words

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Inference

Back 34

a general conclusion drawn from information that is given