Short Story Literary Terms

Flashback

A Flashback is a conversation, an episode, or an event that happened before the beginning of a story. Often a flashback interrupts the chronological flow of a story to give the reader information to help in an understanding a character's present situation.

Caricature

A caricature is achieved by comic, ludicrous, or gross exaggeration of parts or characteristics. In literature a caricature most often represents an outrageous and unrealistic verbal portrait of a character.

Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that have something in comm. Unlike similes, metaphors do no use the word like or as.

Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things using the words like or as.

Symbol

A symbol is a person, place, activity, or object that stands for something beyond itself. For example, a dove is a common symbol for peace.

Denotation

A word's literal and primary meaning, independent of any connotations; the "dictionary definition" of the word.

Diction

A writer or speaker's choice of words and way of arranging words in sentences is called diction.

Allusion

An allusion is an indirect reference to another literary work or to a famous person, place, or event.

Antagonist

An antagonist is usually the principal character in opposition to the protagonist, or hero of the drama.

External Conflict

An external conflict involves a character pitted against an outside force, such as nature, a physical obstacle, or another character.

Inference

An inference is the conclusion a reader draws from what is implied but not directly stated by the author. The reader derives this inference from facts or premises presented in the story.

Internal Conflict

An internal conflict is one that occurs within a character.

Denouement

At this point in the story, any remaining secrets, questions, or mysteries that remain after the resolution takes place are reflected upon or explained by the narrator or author. Sometimes the ideas presented in the denouement encourage the reader to think about the theme or future possibilities for the characters.

Characterization

Characterization refers to the methods that a writer uses to develop characters - either directly or indirectly.

Character

Characters are the people who take part in the action of a story or a novel. Sometimes characters can be animals or imaginary creatures, such as monsters from outer space.

Dialect

Dialect is a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

Dramatic irony

Dramatic irony is where the reader or viewer knows something that a character does not know.

Dynamic Character

Dynamic characters change - whether for better or for worse - in response to circumstance or experience.

Connotation

Emotional associations or secondary meanings of a word that a given individual might attach to it.

Figurative Language

Figurative language is language that communicates ideas beyond the ordinary, literal meanings of works. Special types of figurative language include personification, simile, and metaphor.

Flat Character

Flat characters are types of characters or caricatures defined by a single idea or quality.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a writer's habit or clues to indicate events and situations that will occur in a later plot. The use of this technique creates suspense while at the same time preparing the reader for what is to come.

Hyperbole

Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or for humorous effect.

Third-person omniscient POV

If a story is told from a third-person omniscient, or all-knowing, point of view, the narrator sees into the minds of more than one character.

Imagery

Imagery consists of descriptive words and phrases that re-create sensory experiences for the reader. Imagery usually appeals to one or more of the five senses -- sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch -- to help the reader imagine exactly what is being described.

Mood

In a literary work, the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader is called mood. Descriptive words, the setting, and figurative language contribute to the mood of a work, as do the sound and rhythm of the language used.

Third-person limited POV

In a third-person limited point of view, the narrator tells only what one character thinks, feels, and observes.

Exposition

In fiction, the structure of the plot normally begins with exposition. In the early part of the story, the exposition sets the tone, establishes the setting, introduces the characters, and gives the reader important background information.

First person POV

In first-person point of view, the narrator is the character in the story and tells everything in his or her own words.

Third person POV

In third-person point view, a story is told by a narrative voice outside the action, not by one of the characters.

Irony

Irony is a special kind of contrast between appearance and reality--usually one in which reality is the opposite from what it seems.

Climax

Often called the turning point, the climax is the moment when the reader's interest and emotional intensity reaches the highest point. The climax usually occurs toward the end of a story, after the reader has understood the conflict and gotten emotionally involved with the characters. The climax sometimes, but not always, points to the resolution of the conflict.

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is the use of words such as pow, buzz, and crunch whose pronunciations suggest their meanings.

Personification

Personification is a figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to an object, animal, or idea.

Realistic Fiction

Realistic fiction is a type of fiction that creates a truthful imitation of ordinary life.

Round Character

Round characters have the three-dimensional complexity of real people.

Setting

Setting is the time and place of action of a story.

Situational irony

Situational irony is the contrast between what a reader or character expects and what actually exists or happens.

Static Character

Static characters do not change significantly over the course of a work no matter what actions take place.

Suspense

Suspense is the excitement or tension that readers feel as they become involved in a story and eager to know the outcome.

Indirect Characterization

The author shows what a character is like through (1) a description of a character's physical appearance, (2) a character's speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions, (3) the speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of other characters.

Direct Characterization

The author tells you what the character is like by direct comments about a character.

Inciting Incident

The complication or something that happens to begin the rising action. It is a single event that signals the beginning of the struggle with the main conflict.

Falling Action

The falling action includes the events happening after and as a result of the climax and leading to the resolution of the story.

Conflict

The plot of a story always involves some sort of conflict or struggle between opposing forces.

Point of View (POV)

The point of view refers to the perspective from which events in a story or novel are told. Point of view is usually either first person or third person.

Protagonist

The protagonist is the central character or hero in a narrative or drama, usually the one with whom the audience tends to identify.

Resolution

The resolution occurs when the protagonist solves the main problem/conflict or someone solves it for him or her. The action stops, but the story may continue with the denouement.

Rising Action

The rising action refers to the events of the story that move the plot along by adding complications or expanding the conflict. Rising action usually builds suspense to a climax, or turning point.

Plot

The sequence of events in a story is called the plot. Generally built around a conflict, the plot tells what happens, when, and to whom. A story's plot may include up to six stages: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement. All six stages are not present in every story's plot line.

Theme

Theme is the main idea in a work of fiction. It is a perception about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader. In most cases, the theme is not stated directly but must be inferred from the characters and situations in a story.

Tone

Tone is the attitude a writer takes toward a subject.

Verbal irony

Verbal irony occurs when someone knowingly exaggerates or says one thing and means another.

Satire

a literary technique in which ideas or customs are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society