English 1

Short Stories

Literary Terms Definitions

Why have a whole unit about short stories?

Readers need to practice using academic vocabulary in ways that deepen their understanding of how stories work. Emphasizing the connection between reading and writing gives readers the opportunity to apply the literary terminology related to plot structures to short stories that they read together and individually.

But why do I have to learn literary terms?

• Literature is one of the domains that has its own vocabulary, and we all need to agree on the meaning of terms we use to talk about what we’re reading.

• Would you want a brain surgeon to operate on you who said, “Oh, I’m going to use this thingamajig to cut a hole in your whatchamacallit.” ?

“But always he lacked the essential tool without which the workman can never attain true mastery: he did not know the names of any of the parts he was building, and without the name he was artistically incomplete. It was not by accident that doctors and lawyers and butchers invented specific but secret names for the things they did; to possess the name was to know the secret. With correct names one entered into a new world of proficiency, became the member of an arcane brotherhood, a sharer of mysteries, and in the end a performer of merit. Without the names one remained a bumbler or, in the case of boatbuilding, a mere carpenter.”

James Michener, Chesapeake

What does is this quote trying to teach us?

Universal Themes• A Universal Theme is a theme common in

many books and is understood by a wide audience.

Universal themes we will study in this unit:• Facing the unknown• Being “alone”• Conflict and consequences• Making hard choices• Crossing borders• Binding ties

Why do we consider essential questions?

Essential questions help readers by 

•stimulating thought

•provoking inquiry

•sparking more questions

Over-riding essential question

•“How does a story’s perspective change according to who tells it?”

This is the question you should consider throughout the unit, and in truth, throughout life. Remember EVERY story has more than one side…

Plot:The action in the story.

Character Traits: The means by which an author establishes character. An author may directly describe the appearance and personality of character or show it through action or dialogue.

Point of view:

The view point from which the story is told. 

First Person Narrator:The point of view of writing which the narrator refers to himself or herself as “I.”

Unreliable Narrator:An unreliable narrator does not always know what is happening in the story, or he or she might be lying or telling us only part of the story.

Third-Person Limited Narrator:

The narrator, who plays no part in the story, zooms in on the thoughts and feelings of just one character. With this point of view, we observe the action through the eyes and with the feelings of this one character.

Third-Person Omniscient Narrator:

The person telling the story knows everything there is to know about the characters and their problems. This all-knowing narrator can tell us about the past, the present, and the future of all the characters. He or she can even tell us what the characters are thinking. The omniscient narrator is like a god telling the story.

Foreshadowing:A technique in which an author gives clues about something that will happen later in the

story.

Theme:The central idea of a work.

Setting:

The time and place in which a story occurs.

Irony:Irony occurs when something is said or happens that is not what is meant or expected.

Allegory:A story in which all of the

elements represent abstract qualities or ideas.

Satire:A work that makes fun of

something or someone with the intent of teaching a lesson

or bringing about change.

Protagonist:

The main character who faces the central conflict

Antagonist:

The person or force working against the main character (protagonist)

Exposition:

A literary device used to introduce background information about events,

settings, characters etc. to the audience or readers. 

Rising action:

A worsening of the conflict until the climax of the work. 

Climax:

The most emotionally tense part of the plot. 

Falling action:

Events that take place after the climax and lead to the resolution. 

Resolution:

The result of the conflict.