literary terms for short story unit

Setting: The setting is the place where the story takes place. Geographical location Time period Specific room or building, etc

Setting can be used to set the atmosphere for a story

Characters: The people (or animals, things) appearing in a literary work. Characters can be ROUND: convincing, true to life DYNAMIC: undergo some type of change or development in story, often because something happens to them FLAT: are stereotypes, shallow, have few personality types, often just symbolic STATIC: do not change in the course of a story

Protagonist: the leading character or hero of a story

Antagonist: the character who strives against another main character. This character opposes the hero or protagonist literature

Methods of Characterization: Direct Characterization: The author develops the personality of a character by direct statements. Indirect Characterization: The author reveals a character’s personality through -The character’s thoughts, words, actions -The comments of other characters -The character’s physical appearance

Conflict: the dramatic struggle between two forces in a story. Types of conflict: -Human vs human -Human vs nature -Human vs society -Human vs self (internal conflict)

Format for the Plot Diagram Exposition --introduces the characters, background and setting Conflict -- struggle between opposing forces Rising Action -- three statements that summarize the story Climax-- point where the protagonist changes Falling action -- one statement about what leads to the end of the conflict Resolution -- the end of the conflict

Point of view: the vantage point from which the author presents action of the story. In other words, who is telling the story? An all- knowing author? A voice limited to the views of one character? The voice and thoughts of one character? Does the author change point of view in the story?

Omniscient Point of View: the author is telling the story directly. Knows all!! Limited Omniscient Point of View: the story is told using third person, from the viewpoint of a specific character in the story First Person Point of View: the story is told from the viewpoint of one of the characters, using the first person pronoun “I.”

Theme: is the central idea or central message of the story. It usually features some insight into the human condition - What is the author’s point or purpose in telling this story? What is he/she trying to tell us?