| Term | Definition |
|---|
| situational irony | discrepancy between the expected outcome of a situation and the actual outcome; a twist in the plot |
| plot | a series of events in a narrative that is carefully constructed by the author for artistic purpose |
| simple narrative account | a chronological description of real events; the purpose is to tell what happened |
| plotless short story | a very modern creation that is pleasurable to read as it describes characters in a situation, but does not employ that development or resolution of a conflict |
| in media ras | plot structure where the story is opened in the middle of the action and then information about the action's beginning is supplied to the reader through flashbacks and other devices for exposition |
| frame story | a story within a story |
| exposition | background information on the characters, setting, and other events necessary for understanding the story are given. |
| complication | the conflict is developed, suspense is created, and foreshadowing may be used |
| suspense | anticipation as to the outcome of events |
| foreshadowing | hints at later events |
| conflict | the interplay between opposing elements; plot of story is produced by and propelled by the conflict |
| protagonist v. self | internal struggle |
| protagonist v. others | external struggle with people, society |
| protagonist v. environment | external struggle with nature |
| technical climax | the turning point in the plot at which the outcome of the action is determined; often the protagonist changes or has the chance to change; afterwards the conflict comes to an end |
| dramatic climax | the point of greatest interest or intensity of the story |
| resolution | the events following the technical climax in which the outcome is actually worked out; works out the decision that was arrived at during the technical climax |
| conclusion | the final event of the story's plot |
| setting | the represented time and place of events in a literary work |
| Three Functions of Setting | 1. to help in understanding of the character's and their actions 2. to help create mood and atmosphere 3. to facilitate plot development by being involved in the conflict |
| pathetic fallacy | technique in which the author uses the setting or nature to parallel or mirror the mood of a character or of the story |
| character | a fictional personality created by an author |
| characterization | technique a writer uses to create and reveal characters in a work of fiction; credibility and consistency are essential |
| expository character revelation | telling a reader about a character's personality in a straight-forward manner |
| dramatic character revelation | showing a reader what a character is like through description of thought, dialogue, and action |
| motivation | the reasons that cause characters to act the way they do |
| protagonist | central character in work of fiction, sets action of the plot in motion |
| antagonist | principal opponent of main character, working against protagonist |
| round character | character who is well-described and whose thoughts and actions are clearly revealed during story development |
| flat character | character who is not well-developed |
| dynamic character | a character who grows, learns, or changes in some significant way through the story; different at the end of a story than at the beginning |
| static character | a character who resists change or refuses to change during the story |
| foil character | character who contrasts in some important way with a more important character |
| consistent character | character whose speech, thoughts, and actions are what the reader has been led to expect from that particular character; all good characters are_________ |
| stock character | a type of character always found in stock in a particular type of story |
| stereotyped character | character created accordingly to widely-held, often narrow-minded ideas; has no individuality and is not well-developed |
| point of view | physical and psychological relationship between the narrator and the story's characters and events |
| narrator | teller of the story |
| mood | describes the reader's feeling after she finishes the story |
| atmosphere | describes general feeling of the story itself, usually established by setting's description |
| style | distinctive handling of landuage through purposeful selection of words and sentence structure; helps indicate tone |
| diction | purposeful selection of words |
| syntax | sentence structure |
| tone | author or speaker's attitude toward the character, events, or audience conveyed by details and descriptive words used by the author |
| dramatic irony | discrepancy between knowledge held by the reader and a character's ignorance of that knowledge |
| verbal irony | discrepancy between the literal meaning of a word and the meaning actually conveyed |
Combine with other sets
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