Short Story Elements Flashcards
(28 cards)
What is the setting?
the time & location
the where & when
aspects that add to the setting include: place, time, weather conditions, social conditions, mood/atmosphere
What is the plot?
the sequence of events in a story
What is the order of the parts of a story?
1 - exposition
2 - initial accident
3 - rising action
4 - climax
5 - falling action
6 - resolution/denouement
What is the exposition?
the introduction of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed
What is the initial incident?
the first event that begins the central conflict of the story
What is rising action?
this is where the events of the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed
What is the climax?
this is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story
What is falling action?
the events and complications begin to be resolved
the reader knows what has happened and if the conflict was resolved or not
What is the resolution/denouement?
this is the final outcome of events in the story
What is conflict?
conflict is a problem in the story
it is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move
What are the 2 types of conflict?
1) internal - a struggle within one’s self
2) external - a struggle with a force outside one’s self
What are the 6 kinds of conflict?
1) man vs man
2) man vs nature (ex. hurricane)
3) man vs society (ex. customs)
4) man vs themselves (ex. physical limitations)
5) man vs supernatural (ex. ghost)
6) man vs technology/machine (ex. robots)
How may an author reveal a character?
- their physical appearance
- what they say, think, feel, dream
- what they do or do not do
- what others say about them and how others react to them
What are main/major characters?
characters who are central to the conflict
What are minor characters?
characters who are not central to the conflict
What are protagonists?
the chief character of a story on which our interests centers
the protagonist has a goal to achieve or a problem to overcome
What are antagonists?
the character or force that is pitted against the protagonist
the antagonist tries to stop the protagonist from achieving their goal
What are developing/dynamic characters?
characters that change their outlook during the story
What are static characters?
characters that do not change their outlook during the story
What are round characters?
complex
like people in real life
difficult to describe
What are flat characters?
built around a single idea or quality
can be described in a single sentence or phrase
What are stereotypes?
characters that behave accordingly to predictable patterns
What are character foils?
a character opposite in personality to that of the main characters
sidekick
What are the 3 povs?
1) First Person - told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist
2) Third Person Omniscient - all knowing/god like, information is introduced where and when the author so chooses
3) Third Person Limited Omniscient - told in third person, we only know what the character knows
