Short StoryLiterary Terms

Vocabulary Terms

• Have your pencils and your handout ready!

• You will need to recognize and locate uses of Short Story terms

Allusion

• Reference to a statement, person, place, event, or thing that is known from literature, history, religion, myth, politics, sports, science, or art

• Direct or indirect reference

“Five score years ago”

“Four score and seven years ago”

King's allusion effectively called up parallels

in two historic moments.

“Having the strength of Hercules”

Atmosphere

• Mood or feeling created by a piece of art or writing– Creates a sense of

expectation about what is to follow

– Feeling in reading

• Example: – Create mood of mystery

around character or setting

– Romantic, gloomy, optimistic, imaginary

Direct Characterization

• Writer tells audience directly what the character is like

• Example: Ed Johnson scratched his head in confusion as the sales rep explained Dralco’s newest engine performance diagnostic computer. The old mechanic hated modern electronics, preferring the old days when all he needed was a stack of manuals and a good set of tools.

Indirect Characterization

• Audience has to put clues together to figure out what a character is like– Just like real life!

Wowza!• Example: Julie owned a multitude of

outfits and accessories, and it always took her forever to decide which combination might impress Trent. As usual, she called her sister several times for advice. After doing so, Julie decided to give the navy blue skirt with the white sweater a try.

Static Character

• Character does not change much in the course of a story

– Character personalities remain essentially stable throughout story

• Commonly done with secondary characters in order to let them serve as thematic or plot elements

– Supporting character and major characters (other than the protagonist) are generally static (exceptions do occur)

Dynamic Character• Changes in some

important way as a result of story’s action– Changes in insight or

understanding, commitment, values, circumstance, physical circumstance, etc.

• Does not apply unless there is a change within the character’s self

Flat Character

• Distinguished by lack of detail

• Have only one or two personality traits

Round Character

• Complex

• Many different traits

• Characters fully developed by an author– Physically, mentally,

emotionally

– Detailed enough to seem real

• Usually the main character

Imagery• Language that appeals

to the senses• Descriptions of people

or objects stated in terms of our senses

• Examples: – He was a

tall man.

– The cat is soft.

Irony & Verbal Irony

Irony: • Contrast or

discrepancy between expectation and reality

Verbal Irony:• Speaker says one thing

but means the opposite• Example: Your boyfriend

shows up in ripped up jeans and a stained t-shirt. With a smirk, you say, "Oh! I see you dressed up for our date. We must be going to a posh restaurant."

Situational & DramaticIrony

Situational Irony:• What actually happens

is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate

• Example from Steel Magnolias: Laugh hysterically at a loved one’s funeral

Dramatic Irony:• Reader knows

something important that a character does not know

• Example: WE know Sean hears the secret, but the girls do not know that HE knows

Verbal, Situational, or Dramatic Irony?

• Example #1: Have you ever seen a horror movie that has a killer on the loose? You, and the rest of the audience, know that the teenagers should not go walking in the woods late at night, but they think a midnight stroll would be romantic. Needless to say, the teens become the next victims.

• Example #2: You break a date with your girlfriend so you can go to the ball game with the guys. When you go to the concession stand, you run into your date who is with another guy.

• Example #3: You stay up all night studying for a test. When you go to class, you discover the test is not until the next day.

• Example #4: Billy steps in big puddle of water by mistake, and his friend remarks, “Well now, don't you have all the luck!“

• Example #5: When watching a talk show, the audience knows why a person has been brought on the show. However, the person sitting in a chair does not know that he is going to be reunited with a former lover. This adds to the suspense and humor of the show.

Omniscient Point of View

• “All-Knowing” point of view

• Narrator plays no part in story but can tell us… – What all the characters

are thinking and feeling– What is happening in

other places

He is so annoying.

I got him right where I want him!

Meanwhile, back at the den, Mama Bear was…

Third-Person Point of View

• Narrator has no part in story

• Zooms in on thoughts and feelings of one character– Ex. Ralph from Lord of the

Flies

• Uses words such as: he, she, it, they, him, her, it, them, his, her, hers, it, their, theirs

First-Person Point of View

• Narrator is a character in the story– Using words such as I, we, me,

us, my, mine, our, ours

• Audience hears and sees ONLY what the narrator sees

• Have to interpret what narrator tells audience– May or may not be objective,

honest, or perceptive

Protagonist

• Main character in fiction or drama

• Character we focus on• Sets the plot in motion• Character or force that blocks

the protagonist is the antagonist

• Most protagonists are rounded, dynamic characters

• Change in some important way by end of story

• Often the hero, but not always

Batman

Antagonist

• Character who strives against another main character

– Character opposes the hero or protagonist

• Principal opponent or foil of the main character

• Considered the villain unless the protagonist is a villain; in that case, the antagonist is the hero

The Joker

Symbolism

• Person, place or object which has a meaning in itself, but suggests other meanings as well

• Things, characters and actions can be symbols

• Meaning beyond the obvious

Water = New Life

Cross = Religion

Heart = Love, Valentines

Purple Heart = Wounded in battle