SHORT STORY LITERARY TERMS Vocabulary ENG 10 PROTAGONIST

SHORT STORY LITERARY TERMS Vocabulary, ENG 10

PROTAGONIST The main character in a story. Example: Katniss Everdeen is the protagonist in The Hunger Games.

ANTAGONIST The character who is against the protagonist or hero. Example: The Joker is the antagonist in the movie The Dark Knight because he is trying to destroy Batman.

EXPOSITION Is at the beginning of a story and introduces the setting and the characters.

RISING ACTION The events in a story that lead up to the climax.

CLIMAX The main turning point in a story. The point of most tension. Example: The climax in “Harrison Bergeron” is when Harrison and the ballerina kiss on the ceiling.

FALLING ACTION The events in a story, that come after the climax.

RESOLUTION The part of the story's plot line in which the problem of the story is resolved or worked out. It is at the end.

THEME The main message or moral of a story. Example: One of themes in “Harrison Bergeron”, is Equality.

CONFLICT The struggle between two characters or forces. Internal conflict is a struggle a character has with himself; external conflict is with anoth character or force. Example: Harrison’s conflict was with the government.

SETTING Where and when a story takes place Example: “The year was 2081 and everybody was finally equal. ”