Short Story Terms

SHORT STORY TERMS Grade 8 English

1. SHORT STORY: A brief story; usually having only one main character, one main conflict, and a limited number of settings.

*SETTING: Time and place of a story; also includes atmosphere (mood or feeling)

2. FICTION: Any story that is imagined and invented rather than historically or factually true. (e.g. a “made-up story”)

3. NON-FICTION: A true story

4. PLOT: The organization of incidents that occurs in most stories; key events.

*PLOT OUTLINE:

a. Introduction: i. To interest the readers ii. To introduce characters iii. To give an idea of the setting

b. Rising Action: The rising action constitutes the major portion of the plot. During this stage of the story, background information is given, conflicts are introduced and suspense is built up. This all leads to the CLIMAX of the story. c. Climax: The climax is the turning point of the action in which the highest point of emotional intensity is reached. (Usually the TURNING POINT of the protagonist’s misfortunes and the story’s main crisis occurs here).

d. Falling Action: The suspense or intense emotion declines immediately after the climax. This lasts throughout the story until the end.

e. Conclusion: The outcome of the plot; a solution to the conflict. Details can be explained here that couldn’t be explained before the climax or the suspense would be ruined.

5. PROTAGONIST: The protagonist is the main character of story. Most protagonists are the heroes or heroines of the story.

Example: In the “Lion King”, Simba would be the protagonist.

6. ANTOGANIST: The antagonist is the other main character/force in the story that causes a problem for the protagonist.

Example: The antagonist in the movie, “The Lion King”, would be Scar.

7. POINT OF VIEW: The point of view is the perspective from which a story is told.

i. 1st person- The protagonist is telling his or her own story through his or her eyes. Examples: “I feel…” , “I saw …”, “I am…”

ii. 3rd person- Refers to the main character (or other characters as “he” or “she”). We usually only know what one character thinks and feels, but from the perspective of someone “outside” the story. Also known as “limited omniscient”.

iii. 2nd person – speaks directly to the reader; addresses the reader as “you”.

8. THEME (Big Idea): The theme is central idea or message of a story, usually implied rather than stated. Sometimes, there is more than one theme. Thematic topics within stories could be: War, Love, Relationships, etc…