Fiction Test Flashcards
(34 cards)
Fiction
imaginative storytelling
Plot
the arrangement of events in a story
Setting
the time and place in which the plot unfolds (Atmosphere and environment are included. Additionally, setting will almost always directly influence the narrative in some way.)
Conflict
a clash of actions, ideas, desires, wills; struggle between characters/forces (ex.: man vs. man, man vs. nature, etc. Conflict is the element that drives plot; without conflict, there is no plot. Internal conflict is a character’s internal struggle, be it moral or psychological.)
Theme
the main idea or subject of a text (ex.: deception, betrayal, conflict between man and technology, etc.)
Exposition
the opening of a story that sets the scene, introduces characters and their situations
Protagonist
the central character in a story; may be sympathetic or unsympathetic (NOT always a good guy!)
Antagonist
the character or force that opposes the protagonist (could be people, things, ideas, etc.) (NOT always a bad guy!)
Climax
the moment of highest tension in a story
Resolution
the end of the conflict
In media res (translation: in the middle of things)
when a story begins in the middle of an action with no true exposition
Flashback
a depiction of a previous event
Foreshadowing
indication of events to come
Point of View
position from which a narrative is told
First-person/participant
told by a character in the story
Third-person/non-participant
told by a narrator outside the story
Omniscient
all-knowing, sees the thoughts of all
Limited-omniscient
the most common type of narration – relates the thoughts of one character (usually the protagonist) or a few characters
Objective
only reports characters’ speech and actions; “fly-on-the-wall”
Reliable narrator
a narrator the reader can trust
Unreliable narrator
a narrator who can’t be trusted
Naive narrator
a subcategory of the unreliable narrator; this is a narrator who understands the narrative less than the audience
Direct revelation
the narrator specifically provides information about a character (ex.: “She was beautiful. He was mean-spirited.”)
Indirect revelation
the reader learns about the character through dialogue and action (ex.: a character who constantly insults others and makes an effort to cause trouble is probably a jerk)
