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
A comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory.
Character
A person in a novel, play or movie.
Protagonist
the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text
Antagonist
a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something
Foil
a character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist,
Conflict
a serious disagreement or argument
Climax
Internal conflict
psychological struggle within the mind of a literary or dramatic character
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
the most intense, exciting, or important point of something
Falling Action
Resolution
The solution to the problem
the parts of a story after the climax and before the very end.
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
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
sudden and disturbing vivid memory of an event in the past
Foreshadow
be a warning or indication of a future event.