Short Story Terms

Plot

Exposition

Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story, or the main part of a story

image

A comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory.

Character

A person in a novel, play or movie.

image

Protagonist

the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text

image

Antagonist

a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something

image

Foil

a character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist,

image

Conflict

a serious disagreement or argument

image

Climax

Internal conflict

psychological struggle within the mind of a literary or dramatic character

image

External Conflict

A problem, antagonism, or struggle that takes place between a character and an outside force.

Rising Action

a series of relevant incidents that create suspense, interest, and tension in a narrative

image

the most intense, exciting, or important point of something

image

image

Falling Action

Resolution

The solution to the problem

the parts of a story after the climax and before the very end.

image

image

Third Person Limited

Point of View

In third person limited the narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character.

the narrator's position in relation to a story being told

image

image

Third Person Omniscient

The third-person omniscient point of view is a method of storytelling in which the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the story.

Flashback

image

sudden and disturbing vivid memory of an event in the past

Foreshadow

be a warning or indication of a future event.

image

image