| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Ironic Point of View | A point of view where we sense a sharp distinction between the narrator of a story and the author |
| Allegory | A story in which persons, places, and things form a system of clearly labeled equivalents |
| Editorial | When a narrator adds occasional comments or opinions |
| Impartial Omniscience | Being non-judgmental |
| Dynamic character | A character that experiences a change over the story |
| Dramatic situation | The conflict in which some character is involved |
| Epiphany | Some moment of insight, discovery, or revelation by which a character's life, or view of life is greatly altered |
| Gratuitous Act | An act which has no motivation or cause |
| Stream of Consciousness | A kind of selective omniscience: the presentation of thoughts and sense impressions in a life-like fashion- randomly |
| Omniscient Narrator | A narrator who is all-knowing |
| Flashback | A scene relived in a character's memory |
| Anti-hero | A hero who lacks one of the typical traits of a hero |
| Symbol | A thing that suggests more than its literal meaning. They generally do not stand for any one meaning. They point or hint to a greater significance or meaning |
| Round character | A character who is represented with more detail and depth, usually the main character |
| Irony of fate/cosmic irony | When we sense that some malicious fate is deliberately frustrating human efforts |
| Innocent/naive narrator | A participatory narrator who fails to understand all the implications of a story |
| Allusion | A reference to a person, place, or thing in history, in fiction or in actuality |
| Climax | The moment of greatest tension at which the outcome is decided |
| Resolution/denouement | The outcome or conclusion of the story |
| Flat character | Has one outstanding characteristic, a few distinguishing marks |
| In media res | Starting "in the midst of things," first presenting some exciting or significant moment, then filling in what happens earlier |
| Objective point of view | The narrator does not enter the mind of any character but describes events from the outside |
| Foreshadowing | An indication of events to come |
| Static character | A character who does not change through the story. |
| Interior monologue | An extended presentation of a character's thoughts, not in the helter-skelter order of stream of consciousness |
| Setting | The time and place of a story |
| Minimalist | An author of realism who has a flat, laid back, unemotional tone. |
| Tone | Whatever leads us to infer the author's attitude |
| Suspense | The pleasurable anxiety we feel that heightens our attention to the story, makes us wonder how it will turn out |
| Protagonist | The central character, the principal person in the story |
| Stock character | A character who is known for some outstanding trait or traits. They are almost a stereotype rather than a unique character. |
| Antagonist | The character in opposition of the central character |
| Locale | A term that refers to place |
| Exposition | The opening position of a story that sets the scene (if any), introduces main characters, tells us what happened before the story opened and provided any other background information we need in order to understand and care about the events that follow |
| Sarcasm | Verbal irony tinged with mockery |
| Naturalism | Fiction of grim realism, in which the writer observes human characters like a scientist studying ants, seein them as the products and victims of environment and heresity |
| Story of Initiation | A story which tells of a character's being brought into experience or maturity |
| Point of view | To identify the narrator of a story, describing any part he or she plays in the events and any limitations places upon his or her knowledge is to identify this |
| Narrator | The speaker or the one from who the story is told |
| Theme | Whatever general idea or insight the entire story reveals |
| Style | Individual traits or characteristics of a piece of writing. A writers particular way of managing words |
| Irony (situational) | A situation that contains some wry contrast or incongruity |
| Diction | Choice of words |
| Limited/selective omniscience | When a non-participatory narrator sees events through the eyes of a single character |
| Irony (verbal) | Implies a contrast between what is said and what is meant |
Combine with other sets
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