Short Story Devices

1
Short Story Devices

• Or, what writers use to make their short stories
  more interesting

2
Allusion

• An allusion is a reference to a well-known
  person, event, place, literary work, or work of
  art.
• Authors use them to get their point across
  without taking a lot of time to explain it.

3
Atmosphere

• Atmosphere is the feeling or mood created by a
  literary work.
• Its how you, the reader, feel when you are
  reading it.

4
Dialect

• Dialect is the form of language spoken by people
  in a particular region or group.

5
Figurative Language

• Figurative language is any writing or speech that
  isnt meant to be taken exactly as it is said.
• For example, if I say, Im so hungry I could eat
  a horse, I dont actually mean that I would
  butcher and eat a horseit just means Im really
  hungry!

6
Flashback

• A flashback is a scene within a story that shows
  something important that happened in the past.

7
Foreshadowing

• Foreshadowing is the authors use of clues to
  hint at what is going to happen later in the
  story.

8
Hero/heroine

• The hero (male) or heroine (female) is the
  character in a story whose actions are inspiring,
  noble, and should be admired.

9
Images

• Images are words and phrases that appeal to one
  or more of the five senses.
• They are used to make sensory snapshots.

10
Irony

• Irony occurs when something different happens
  than what is expected.
• Situational ironysomething happens that is
  directly opposite to what the characters or the
  reader expects.
• Verbal ironywhen someone says the opposite of
  what they actually mean.
• Dramatic ironythe reader knows something the
  character does not.

11
Metaphor

• A metaphor compares two different things
  directly.
• For example, I could say, This class is a zoo!.

12
Motive

• A motive is the reason a character does something
  or acts a certain way.

13
Narrator

• A narrator is the person or character telling a
  story. Remember point of view?

14
Oxymoron

• An oxymoron is a figure of speech that links two
  opposite ideas.
• For example, jumbo shrimp or little giant.

15
Personification

• Personification occurs when the author gives
  human personality to something non humanusually
  an animal.

16
Simile

• A simile compares two different things but uses
  like or as.
• For example, I could say, Sarah (my daughter) is
  like a little angel.

17
Surprise Ending

• A surprise ending is a conclusion that is
  unexpected.

18
Suspense

• Suspense is a feeling of anxious uncertainty or
  worry about what is going to happen in the story.

19
Symbol

• A symbol is anything that stands for or
  represents something else.
• For example, hearts and roses usually symbolize
  love.

20
Tone

• The tone of a literary work is how the author
  feels about what he or she is writing about.
• For example, in Seventh Grade, the author feels
  sympathetic and a little bit humorous about what
  happens to Victor.