Download - Short Story Literary Elements. What is a short story? A short story is a brief work of fiction
Short Story Literary Elements
What is a short story?A short story is a brief work
of fiction.
Elements of a Short StoryPlotSettingCharacterizationPoint of ViewTheme
PlotThe sequence of events in
a literary work
Plot Structure Exposition – introduces the setting,
the characters and the basic situation Inciting Incident – introduces the
central conflict Rising Action – events leading up to
the climax
Climax – high point of interest or suspense
Falling Action – events after the climax that lead to the resolution
Resolution (Denouement) – general insight or change is conveyed
SettingThe setting is the time and
place of the action.
TimeTime can include not only
the historical period – past, present, future – but also a specific year, season or time of day.
PlacePlace may involve not only the
geographical place – a region, country, state, or town – but also the social, economic or cultural environment.
CharactersA character is a person or animal
that takes part in the action of a literary work.
Protagonist The main character, or protagonist, is
the most important character in a story.
This character often changes in some important way as a result of the story’s events.
Antagonist An antagonist is the character or
force in conflict with the protagonist.
CharacterizationCharacterization is the act of
creating and developing a character.
Direct Characterization In direct characterization, the
author directly states a character’s traits.
Indirect Characterization In indirect characterization, an author
provides clues about a character by describing what a character looks like, does and says, as well as how other characters react to him/her.
It is up to the reader to draw conclusions.
Point of ViewThe writer’s choice of narrator
determines the story’s point of view, which directs the type and amount of information the writer reveals.
First PersonWhen a character in the story
tells the story, that character is a first person narrator.
First Person This person may be a major
character, a minor character, or just a witness.
Readers see only what this character sees.
The first person narrator may or may not be reliable.
Third PersonWhen a voice outside the story
narrates, the story has a third person narrator.
Third Person OmniscientAn omniscient, or all-knowing
third person narrator can tell readers what any character thinks or feels.
Third Person LimitedA limited third person narrator
sees the world through one character’s eyes and reveals only that character’s thoughts.
ThemeThe theme is the central
message or insight into life revealed in a literary work.
More Elements Conflict Foreshadowing Mood Irony Symbol
Conflict A conflict is a struggle between
opposing forces. Characters in conflict form the basis
of short stories, novels, and plays.
External Conflict In an external conflict, the main
character struggles against an outside force: Another character Societal standards or expectations Nature
Internal ConflictThe character is in conflict with
him/herself.
Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is the use of clues
that suggest events that have yet to occur.
This technique creates suspense, keeping readers wondering what will happen next.
Mood Mood is the feeling created in the
reader by a literary work or passage. The mood is often suggested by
descriptive details.
Irony Irony is the general term for literary
techniques that portray differences between appearance and reality, or expectation and result.
Verbal IronyWords suggest the opposite of
what is meant
Dramatic Irony There is a contradiction between
what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true.
Situational Irony An event occurs that directly
contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience.
Symbol A symbol is anything that stands for
something else. In addition to having it’s own
meaning, a symbol also represents abstract ideas.