Short Story Vocab
The highest point of tension in a storyline
What is the climax
What is chronological structure?
A story structure where events are told in the order they occur in time.
A character argues with a coworker over credit for a project, and the disagreement escalates into sabotage.
What is man vs. man?
A narrator uses the pronoun “I” and directly participates in the events of the story.
What is first-person point of view?
What is the central conflict in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Man vs Man
Setting + Time + Characters
What is exposition?
A narrative technique where a story briefly shifts backward in time to show past events that shape the present conflict.
What is a flashback narrative?
A character struggles to resist the pressure of social expectations placed on them by their community.
What is man vs. society?
Answer: The narrator refers to characters as “he,” “she,” or “they,” but the reader only knows the thoughts of one character.
What is third-person limited?
Iceberg Structure is the structure of this recent story we read
What is the Birthday Party
The inciting moment of The Lion King.
When Simba's Dad dies
A story structure in which one narrative surrounds and contains another story
A frame narrative
A character debates internally whether to tell the truth or protect someone they love.
What is man vs. self?
The narrator can reveal the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters.
What is third-person omniscient?
This famous movie uses the Roshomon Structure
What is Knives Out?
The action after the climax, allowing characters to process the main conflict and resolve subplots.
Falling Action
This structure often omits clear exposition and forces readers to infer meaning through subtle details and implication.
What is iceberg structure?
A hiker becomes lost during a snowstorm and must survive freezing temperatures and limited resources.
Man vs. Environment
The reader and the narrator are are the same
What is second-person point of view?
This famous movie uses a Frame Narrative Structure
What is Princess Bride
The Climax in "Where Are You Going Where Have You Been"
The moment Connie realizes that Arnald Friend is not a teenager but in fact dangerous
This controls what readers know, feel, and anticipate
What is structure?
A teenager feels both fascinated and terrified by a stranger who pressures her into leaving her home while she struggles internally about what to do.
What is both man vs. man and man vs. self?
This point of view allows the reader to access the thoughts of all characters in the narrative
What is third-person omniscient?
This creative nonfiction piece used a fragmented story structure
On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous