LITERARY ELEMENT & THEIR DEFINITIONS. Short Story.

LITERARY

ELEMENT

& THEIR

DEFIN

ITIO

NS

Short Story

a brief work of fiction which presents a sequence of events or plot

Fiction

literary work based on the imagination, not fact

Protagonist

the main character in a literary work

Antagonist

a character or force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist

Suspense

a feeling of anxious uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work

Irony

a contradiction between what happens and what is expected

Motive/ Motivation

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

Character

a person or animal that takes part in a narrative (story)

Mood

the overall feeling that a literary work or passage creates for the reader

CharacterTraits

the qualities, attitude, and values that a character has or displays

Word Choice/Diction

an important factor in creating the tone or mood of a literary work

Characterization

The method an author uses to acquaint the reader with his or her characters through•Appearance and personality• Speech and behavior• Thoughts and feelings• Opinions of others

Exposition

Mr. Green: the banker Mrs. Scarlet: the loan officerWhere: in the Living RoomWhen: at midnightWhat: fight with the candlestick

the introduction, the part of the work that introduces the characters, setting, and basic situation

Inciting Incident/

Initiating Event

the event at the beginning of the story that causes another event to occur. The first event introduces the central conflict.

Plot

the sequence of events in a narrative (story)

Setting

the time and place and under what circumstances the story is taking place

Conflict

a struggle between opposing forces; can be internal or external

Rising Action

the events that increase the interest or suspense, building to the climax

Point of View

the perspective, or vantage point, from which a story is told

1st person, narrator is a character in the story

3rd person , an outsider can only report what he sees or hears

3rd person, omniscient, an outsider who can enter the mind/s of one or more characters

Dialogue

a conversation between characters.

Tone

the author’s attitude toward the audience and subject

Climax

the high point of interest or suspense in a story; also called the turning point

Falling Action

the events of a narrative following the climax

Resolution

the outcome of the conflict in a plot

Theme

central message, concern, or purpose, the underlying meaning of a literary work; a general truth about life or mankind

Subplot

a story in a novel or film that is separate from the main story and is not as important as the main story

Foreshadowing

an author’s use of hints or clues to hint at what might happen later in the story

Inference

R E A D I N Ga conclusion drawn by the reader from “reading between the lines” by using prior knowledge and text

Flashback

a scene within a story that interrupts the sequence of events to relate events that occurred in the past

Allusion

a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

ParallelEpisode

certain elements of the plot are repeated

Imagery

an author uses words and phrases to create mental images for the reader

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