Short Story Terms

flashback

a scene relived in a character's memory

allusion

brief (sometimes indirect) reference in a text to a person, place, or thing-fictious or actual. May appear in a literary work as an initial quotation, a passing mention of a name, or as a phrase borrowed from another writer-often carrying meanings and implications of the original.

editorial omniscience

when an omniscient narrator goes beyond reporting the thoughts of his or her characters to make a critical judgement r commentary, making explicit the narrator's own thoughts or philosophies

diction

word choice or vocabulary Diction refers to the class of words that an author decides is appropriate to use in a particular work.

objective POV (dramatic POV)

POV in which the narrator merely reports dialogue and action with minimal interpretation or access to the character's minds.

plot

The particular arrangement of actions, events, and situations that unfold in a narrative.

regional writer

Usually sets stories (or other work) in one geographic area. Often a native of the place and tries to bring it alive to readers who live elsewhere.

in medias res

a Latin phrase meaning "in the middle of things" that refers to a narrative device of beginning a story midway in the events it depicts (usually at an exciting or significant moment)

stock characters

a common or stereotypical character that occurs frequently in literature.

irony

a literary device in which discrepancy of meaning is masked beneath the surface of the language. Irony is present when a writer says one thing, but means quite the opposite

epiphany

a moment of insight, discovery, or revelation by which a character's life is greatly altered. generally occurs near the end of the story.

participant

a narrator that participates as a character within story

nonparticipant

a narrator who does not appear in the story as a character but is capable of revealing the thoughts and motives of one or more characters.

naturalism

a type of fiction or drama in which the characters are presented as products or victims of environment and heredity. Naturalism, considered an extreme form of realism, customarily depicts the social, psychological, and economic milieu of the primary characters. First formally developed by French novelist Emile Zola in the 1870's

observer

a type of first-person narrator who is relatively detached from or plays only a minor role in the events described

narrator

a voice or character that provides the reader with information and insight about the characters and incidents in a narrative

style

all the distinctive ways in which an author, genre, movement or historical period uses language to create a literary work.

limited/selective omniscience

also called third-person limited POV. A type of POV in which the narrator sees into the minds of some but not all of the characters.

gratuitous act

an act that occurs in a story without any motivation or cause (but with effect)

grotesque

art characterized by an incongruous mixture of parts of humans and animals interwoven with plants

Protagonist

central character in a literary work. Usually initiates the main action of the story, often in conflict with the antagonist.

dynamic character

character who, during the course of the narrative, grows or changes in some significant way

round characters

coined by E.M. Forster to describe a complex character who is presented in depth and detail in a narrative.

story of initiation

coming of age stories (when a character is maturing)

minimalists

contemporary fiction written in deliberately flat, unemotional tone and an appropriately unadorned style. Often relies on dramatic action scene and dialogue

Complication

introduction of a significant development in the central conflict in a drama or narrative between characters

Antagonist

most significant character or force that opposes the protagonist in a narrative or drama.

unreliable narrator

narrator who-intentionally or unintentionally-relates events in a subjective or distorted manner. The author usually provides some indication early on in such stories that the narrator is not to be completely trusted.

stream of consciousness

not a specific technique, but a type of modern narration that uses various literary devices, especially interior monologue, in an attempt to duplicate the subjective and associative nature of human consciousness.

Exposition

opening portion of a narrative or drama. In the exposition, the scene is set the protagonist is introduced and the author discloses any other background information necessary to allow the reader to understand and relate to the events that are to follow.

antihero

protagonist who is lacking in one or more of the conventional qualities attributed to a hero. Antihero is often considered an essentially modern form of characterization.

impartial omniscience

refers to an omniscient narrator who, although he or she presents the thoughts and actions of the characters, does not judge them or comment on them

characterization

techniques a writer uses to create, reveal, or develop the characters in a narrative

flat/static characters

term coined by English novelist E.M. Forster to describe a character with only one outstanding trait.

tone

the attitude toward a subject conveyed in a literary work. No single stylistic device creates tone; it is the net result of the various elements and author brings creating the work's feeling and manner.

atmosphere

the dominant mood or feeling that pervades all or part of a literary work. Atmosphere is the total effect conveyed by the author's use of language, images, and physical setting. Atmosphere is often used to foreshadow the ultimate clime of the narrative.

denouement/resolution

the final part of a narrative, the concluding action or actions that follow the climax

locale

the location where a story takes place

climax

the moment of greatest intensity in a story, which almost inevitably occurs towards the end of the work.

omniscience

the quality of being all-knowing; narrator knows everything

setting

the time and place of a literary work. The setting may also include the climate and even the social, psychological, or spiritual state of the participants

motivation

what a character in a story or drama wants. the reasons an author provides for a character's actions.