Characterizing
characters
Literary terms to know
for your short story
speech.
Protagonist
The main character and “good guy” in a
story.
Antagonist
The “bad guy” in a story that causes
problems for the protagonist.
Direct character
The author tells us what the character is like
so we don’t have to decide ourselves.
Example: General Zaroff of “The
Most Dangerous Game”
Indirect character
We decide what type of person a character is
based on what we learn during the course of
the story.
Example: Mrs. Jones from
“Thank You, M’am.”
Static Character
A static character is one that does not
change much during the course of a story.
Example: Mr. Loisel
from “The Necklace.”
Dynamic character
This character changes as a result of the
story’s events.
Flat character
Only has one or two traits. A flat character is
usually a minor character in the story.
Example: Ivan from “The
Most Dangerous Game”
Round Character
Like a real person, a round character has
many different traits.
Example: Mathilde from “The Necklace”
Foreshadowing
When the author gives hints about events
that are going to occur.
Flashback
When a character or writer recalls events that
have occurred in the past.