What is the term for a brief narrative focusing on a particular incident or event?

The term that describes a brief narrative focusing on a particular incident or event is "anecdote." Anecdotes are typically short, personal stories that illustrate a point or highlight a particular characteristic or situation. They are often used in various forms of writing, such as speeches, essays, or novels, to engage the audience, provide context, or add a touch of humor or relatability to the subject at hand.

In contrast, an apostrophe is a rhetorical device in which the speaker addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, often to express strong emotion. Aphorism refers to a concise statement that expresses a general truth or principle, often in a witty or memorable way. Antithesis involves the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas or words within a balanced grammatical structure, highlighting differences. Each of these terms serves a distinct purpose in literary and rhetorical writing, but none corresponds to the concept of a brief narrative like an anecdote does.