Elements Elements of a of a

Short StoryShort Story

1. Plot

1. Plot

• Exposition- Basic situation – introduction of setting, Characters, etc.

1. Plot• Rising Action - Complication –

(introduction of conflict) the main character encounters an obstacle, this conflict creates interest in the story.

1. Plot

• Climax – the most tense or exciting moment. The event that determines the outcome of the story (greatest emotional involvement).

1. Plot

• Falling action – action happening after the climax.

1. Plot

• Resolution – sometimes called Denouement (French for “untying The knot”). The conclusion of the story.

1. Plot

1. PlotConflict – (complications)

External Conflict - conflict outside the character

1. PlotExternal Conflict

• Man vs. Nature- Main character

struggles with natural forces such as rain, cold, snow, heat, lack of food, shelter, clothing, wild animals, etc.

1. PlotExternal Conflict

• Man vs. Machine- Main character struggles with technology or something manmade that causes conflict.

1. PlotExternal Conflict

• Man vs. ManMain character struggles with another human being. It could be a small group against another small group.

1. PlotConflict – (complications)

Internal Conflict conflict inside the

character

1. PlotInternal Conflict

• Man vs. SelfMain character struggles with his/her own conscience or character flaws.

1. PlotInternal Conflict

• Man vs. EmotionsMain character must overcome some emotion that is causing conflict, can be fear, depression, anger, etc.

1. PlotInternal Conflict

• Man vs. SocietyMain character struggles with a large group of people. The large group is in agreement with each other. The main character does not agree with the large group. The main character struggles against the rules or the standards of the human environment in which he/she lives.

2. Character

2. Character

• Direct Characterization- the author tells what the character is like up front.

• Indirect Characterization – the author shows what the character is like through speech, action, appearance, etc.

2. Character

• Protagonist – the main character of the story who runs into some conflict.

• Antagonist – character or force that has conflict with the main character

2. Character

• Dynamic Character – a character who changes during the story.

• Static Character – a character that doesn’t change during the story.

2. Character

• Flat Character – a character with only one or two personality traits.

• Round Character – a more complex character with many traits and more life-like.

2. Character

• Stock Character – stereotypical character (old man, teenage boy, damsel in distress) (Archetype).

3. Point of View

3. Point Of View

The vantage point from which a writer tells a

story

3. Point of View

• Narrator- speaker or character who tells a story. The narrator may be either a character in the story or an outside observer.

3. Point of View

• First Person Narrator– “I” – the narrator is a character in the story. Readers only see what this character sees, hears, etc.

3. Point of View

• Third Person (limited) – the narrator is an outside observer but is limited to the vantage point of a single character.

3. Point of View

• Third Person (omniscient – “all knowing”) - the narrator is an outside observer but can see every characters thoughts and feelings.

3. Point of View

• Tone – the attitude the speaker takes toward a subject, audience, or character.

3. Point of View

• Denotation- The dictionary meaning of a word.

• Connotation – the set of associations that occur when a word is read or heard.

3. Point of View

• Denotation- The dictionary meaning of a word.

• Connotation – the set of associations that occur when a word is read or heard.

4. Setting

4. Setting

• Setting is the story’s landscape and its atmosphere. The time and place that gives the background and sets boundaries for what can and can’t happen in a story. The setting contributes to the story’s emotional effect; it can also reveal character.

4. Setting

• Atmosphere – the feeling of harshness or mildness, of gloom or cheer, of beauty or ugliness, and how it affects characters.

4. Setting

• Verisimilitude – “like truth” – having life-like qualities. The appearance of being true to life.

5. Irony

5. Irony

• A direct contrast of expectations- a suggestion of the opposite of what is meant.

5. Irony

• Verbal Irony – spoken words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant.

5. Irony

• Sarcasm- a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it.

5. Irony

• Situational Irony – When something is supposed to happen, but the opposite actually happens.

5. Irony

• Dramatic Irony – In a play or movie when we know something that the characters on stage or screen don’t.

5. Irony

• Cosmic Irony- or the irony of fate, misfortune is the result of fate, chance, or God

5. Irony

• Satire- writing that ridicules something with the intention of changing it. A satirist wants to expose human stupidity, wickedness, greed, injustice, cruelty, and deceit in a person, a group of people, or humanity at large.

5. Irony

• Anticlimax – an event, period, or outcome that is strikingly less important or dramatic than expected.

6. Theme

6. Theme

• The story’s meaning and roots-some idea about human life and human nature. A generalization about human beings or about life.

6. Theme

• Allusion- a reference to a well known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art.

6. Theme

• Analogy- a comparison that explains one subject by pointing out its similarities to another subject.

6. Theme

• Foreshadowing- the use of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur.

6. Theme

• Flashback- a section in a literary work that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier time.

7. Symbol

7. Symbol

• An object, a setting, an event, an animal, or even a person that functions the way you’d expect it, but also stands for something greater than itself, usually for something abstract.

7. Symbol

• Symbols are often identified by emphasis or their re-appearance. Symbols are often visual, and have something to do with the story’s theme.