Short Story Terms
IDEA for Vocabulary Words
Characterization
the process of revealing the personality of a character
Protagonist
the main character
Antagonist
the person or thing that gets in the way of the main character
Flat Character
a simple character who does not display internal conflicts
Round Character
a complex character who displays internal conflicts
-Is an over-protective father
-Plans to steal the moon
-Falls in love
-Gets crabby and irritable at people
-Inspires loyalty from his minions
-Smart enough to come up with evil plans
-Is jealous of younger super-villains
-Tries to leave behind his life of crime
Static Character
a character who stays the same throughout a story
Dynamic Character
a character who changes throughout a story
Internal Conflict
a struggle that takes place within a character’s mind
External Conflict
a struggle that takes place outside of a character
Diction
word choice
Denotation
the dictionary definition of a word (non- debatable)
Connotation
all of the emotional associations and societal assumptions connected with a word
First Person Point of View
the vantage point from which a story is told by one character – uses “I”
Third Person Limited Point of View
a story is told by a narrator who reveals thoughts of one character
Third Person Omniscient Point of View
the vantage point from which a story is told by an all-knowing narrator
Situational Irony
when you expect one thing to happen and the opposite happens
Verbal Irony
when you say one thing but mean the opposite
Dramatic Irony
when the reader or audience knows something a character doesn’t know
Symbol
something that represents more than just itself