Share Fiction Terms Front Page
Save to Folder
the basic situation of a story; the necessary background information
exposition
the time and place in which the events of a short story, play or novel occur
setting
main character in fiction or drama
protagonist
character or force that blocks the main character
antagonist
a character struggles between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within him or herself
internal conflict
a character struggles against an outside force, which may be a character, society, or nature
external conflict
a factor added to a story to give the protagonist a new problem to deal with
complication
the moment right before the climax when the action of the story could go either way--for or against the protagonist
crisis
the most intense moment in the plot; the moment at which something happens that reveals how the conflict will turn out
climax
the end of a story where problems are resolved ; the story is brought to a close
resolution
the reason a character acts a certain way
motivation
the story's main idea or insight into life
theme
a person, place, thing or event that has meaning in itself but also stands for something more that itself
symbol
the technique of stopping the chronological action in a story and shifting to an earlier period to introduce additional information
flashback
the technique of giving clues to coming events in a narrative
foreshadowing
an author develops a character by showing the character in action or through dialogue with other characters
indirect characterization
