Flashcards: Short Story Terms
About these flashcards
Created by:
mistergeorge 
on January 27, 2012
All 25 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Plot | sequence of events in a story |
| Setting | where and when the story takes place |
| Conflict | the problem in the story |
| Internal Conflict | a problem or struggle within a character |
| External Conflict | a struggle between a character and an outside force |
| Theme | The "message" of the story; the lesson to be learned (ex: courage, losing a loved one, forgiveness,etc...) |
| Foreshadowing | the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a story |
| Flashback | insertion of earlier events into a story |
| Mood | the overall feelingcreated by a work of literature |
| Suspense | a feeling of excitement, uncertainty and curiosity about what will happen next in a story. |
| Exposition | introduces the characters, setting, and basic situation |
| Rising Action | events leading up to the climax |
| Climax | the decisive moment in a novel or play |
| Falling Action | events after the climax, leading to the resolution |
| Resolution | end of the story where loose ends are tied up |
| Antagonist | the character who works against the protagonist in the story |
| Protagonist | the principal character in a work of fiction |
| Point of View | the perspective from which a story is told |
| First Person Point of View | a character in the story is actually telling the story himself/herself |
| Limited Third Person Point of View | the story is told from the perspective of one of the characters whose information is restricted to what he/she sees, hears, and feels. |
| Omniscient Third Person Point of View | All-knowing narrator is telling the story; can reveal thoughts/feelings of all characters |
| Irony | the opposite of what is expected |
| Idiom | An expression that cannot be understood if taken literally (ex- "Get your head out of the clouds"). |
| Short Story | a short work of fiction, generally read in one sitting |
| Fiction | a story that is not true or is made up(Fiction = Fake) |