Short Story Terms (continued)

protagonist - the person who the story is mostly about

dynamic characters - they change

static - they do not change

antagonist - the character who opposes or impedes the protagonist

sympathetic characters - those who appeal to the reader, evoke emotion

plot - linked chain of events

in media res - when the story starts in the middle of the plot, earlier events divulged usually through flashback

flashback - part of the story that shows something that happened in the past

foreshadowing - hints in the text that

conflict - complication - struggle between the protagonist and some one or some force

rising action - incidents in the plot that lead up to the climax

climax - the point at which the action reaches its highest tension

resolution - part of the story after the climax has ended the conflic

epiphany - sudden understanding or realization either by the character or the reader

setting - the location and time in which the story takes place

projection - a technique of narration by which the emotional state of the character colors the description of the setting

Symbol - object that represents something other than itself

Motif - any word, phrase, object, idea or situation that recurs throughout a work

Theme - what the story is about on an abstract level Examples:  love, revenge, friendship, mortality