Short Story Terms

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Short StoryTerms
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The Plot
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Settingthe when and the where of the story

• The Historical Period
• Clothing, transportation, inventions, appliances,
  vocabulary
• The Season
• Clothing, descriptions of weather
• Time of Day
• By a clock, stating noon, twilight
• By characters eating breakfast, lunch

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Exposition

• The introduction of the characters, setting, or
  conflict at the beginning of the story

Monster
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Rising Action

• Part of the plot that adds complications to the
  conflict events that lead to the climax

Rising Action
exposition
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Climax
Climax
Rising Action
exposition

• The changing point event of highest interest

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Falling Action
Climax
Rising Action
Falling Action
exposition
The actions that follow the climax, revealing its
results and leading to the resolution
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Resolution
Climax
Rising Action
Falling Action
exposition
Resolution
Follows the falling action, resolves the conflict
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Conflict
The struggle between opposing forces
Character vs. Character Character vs.
Self Character vs. Nature Character vs.
Fate Character vs. Society
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Characterization
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• Direct Characterization
• The author reveals the characters personality
  through direct statements
• Indirect Characterization
• The author reveals the characters personality
  through thoughts, actions, words, etc.

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Indirect Characterization Clothing

• His was a starched sailor suit, with a square
  collar that hung down his back, and a black
  sateen tie, and short pants. His legs were
  encased in black stockings, and his high topped
  shoes were magnificently mirror-shiny. He wore a
  round, upbrimmed straw sailor hat on his hair,
  which was a clear, ashen brown, and he had a hoop
  and a stick in his hand. He was a pudgy boy,
  somehow soft and unformed in his fine clothes,
  and his face was round and pale and
  small-featured, with great brown eyes. --Foxs
  Earth

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Indirect Characterization Speech

• The very first words the main character speaks
  should reveal character in some way.
• Boy 1 Spaghetti and milk, please. Id
  appreciate it if you would hurry. Im late for
  class.
• Boy 2 Give me spaghetti and milk. Hurry up. Im
  late for class.

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Indirect Characterization Action

• Facial expressions
• Gestures
• Unconscious movements
• Reactions to stress
• Josh tripped over the dog, muttered under his
  breath, and kicked the dog.

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Characterization Imagery

• Direct
• Mary had freckles and was very active.
• Indirect
• A perky, flighty little girl, with a
  freckle-covered pug nose, Mary somersaulted on
  her shoestring legs.

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Protagonist

• The character in the story upon whom the conflict
  occurs the good guy

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Antagonist

• A person or force that opposes the protagonist
  the bad guy

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Atmosphere

• The feeling of a particular place
• The use of emotional words
• Decayed walls
• Rat-infested corners
• Chilled air