Download - Short Story
THE SHORT STORY
A short story• Is a brief work of FICTION• One main character faces a CONFLICT• The conflict is resolved in the PLOT
There are 5 major elements in every short story
• Plot• Setting• Characters• Point of view• Theme
The plot The sequence of EVENTS Involves CHARACTERS and a problem
(CONFLICT) Has 7 basic parts
CLIMAX
EXPOSITION RESOLUTION
RISING ACTION
FALLING ACTION
STORYTITLE
MOMENT OFDISCOVERY
INCITINGINCIDENT
CLIMAX
EXPOSITION RESOLUTION
RISING ACTION
FALLING ACTIONSTORYTITLE
MOMENT OFDISCOVERY
INCITINGINCIDENT
Introduces setting, characters, situation
All the events leading upto the climax
High point of interest or suspense
All the events after the climax leading to theresolution
The “ah-ha!” for thecharacter
The conflict is resolved
Sets the plot in motion
CLIMAX
EXPOSITION RESOLUTION
RISING ACTION
FALLING ACTIONSTORYTITLE
MOMENT OFDISCOVERY
INCITINGINCIDENT
Introduces setting, characters, situation
All the events leading upto the climax
High point of interest or suspense
All the events after the climax leading to theresolution
The “ah-ha!” for thecharacter
The conflict is resolved
Sets the plot in motion
The setting• The TIME of the story including HISTORICAL
PERIOD, YEAR, SEASON, TIME OF DAY• WHERE the story takes place including
geographical LOCATION (region, country, state, town), SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, CULTURAL environment
• Presents the EXISTING SITUATION • Provides a PROBLEM the characters must face
and overcome
Characters• The people or animals who PARTICIPATE IN
THE ACTION• Details are revealed through: physical DESCRIPTION words (WHAT THE CHARACTER SAYS) actions (WHAT THE CHARACTER DOES) interactions with others (WHAT OTHERS SAY
ABOUT THE CHARACTER)
Point of view• The vantage point from which the story is told• First-person narration: the narrator is a character IN THE ACTION uses first-person pronouns; I, ME, WE
• Third-person narration: the story-teller REPORTS events the story-teller DOES NOT TAKE PART in the
action
THEME• The CENTRAL MESSAGE or INSIGHT
INTO LIFE; the LESSON to be learned • A GENERALIZATION about people or
about life • The main idea
The theme is NOT a summary of the plot.
The theme can be:• STATED DIRECTLY• The author expresses the theme directly in a sentence or
two.
• IMPLIED• The reader must “read between the lines” and decide
what the work is saying about the nature of people or life.
Read between the lines to find the theme by analyzing:
The TITLE = clues to the main ideaThe SETTING = details revealing the author’s
attitude toward the world in generalThe PLOT = conflict and resolution of the
conflictThe CHARACTERS = actions, traits,
motivations, moment of discovery, conclusions they draw
There are 5 major elements in every short story
• Plot• Setting• Characters• Point of view• Theme