The Short Story**Portions of this Powerpoint presentation come from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) website in their ReadWriteThink program.Grade 7 LA BlueMrs. Munzner

History of the Short Story1. Myth- gods, natural events are explained to ancient people, usually there is a hero involved.2. Fables and Parables- Teach a moral or lesson. Helps readers think about right or wrong. They share an important human experience. Animals are the main characters3. Folktales/ fairytales- Fantasy is involved. Super powers are good vs. evil are used to teach a lesson.

Then along came the modern short storyPurposesHelps us think about right and wrongHelps us understand thoughts and emotionsMain purpose= share an important human experienceUniversal theme (applies to everyones life)

Characteristics of the Modern Short Story1. One single situation or experience2. One plot line (series of events)3. One or two main characters4. Records an incident that every reader can connect to.5. Carefully organized

Elements of The Short Story CharacterSettingPlot ConflictToneThemePoint of view

CharactersRound vs. Flat

Round characters=Well-developed, has many traitsFlat Characters=One sided, stereotypedDynamic vs. Static

Dynamic characters= change in the storyStatic characters= stay the same

CharactersProtagonistThe main character in a literary work (for instance, Harry Potter or Snow White)

AntagonistThe character who opposes the protagonist (for instance, Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter Series, or The Queen in Snow White)

Methods of CharacterizationDirect CharacterizationThe author develops the personality of a character by saying it directly.

Jack had been in basic training in Florida and Dottie was there on vacation with her parents. Theyd met on a beach and struck up a conversation. Dottie was the talker, the outgoing one the extrovert. Jack was too shy around girls to say much at all.Furlough1044 by Harry Mazer

Methods of CharacterizationIndirect CharacterizationRevealing a characters personality through:

1. The characters thoughts and words2. The characters actions.3. The comments of other characters or how other characters respond to specific characters4. The characters physical appearance.

SettingThe setting is the place where the story occurs. The setting can include the following:The geographic location (ex. London, California, Holden)The time period (ex. 2007, during WWII, today, tomorrow, fifty years from now)The socio-economic characteristics of the location (ex. Wealthy section of town, the ghetto, the great depression)The specific building, room and so forth

SettingCan be used to tell readers about the characters:That evening T.J. smelled the air, his nostrils dilating with the odor of the earth under his feet. Its spring, he said, and there was a gladness rising in his voice that filled us all with the same feelingfrom Antaeus by Borden Deal

SettingCan be used to set the atmosphere for the story:

During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country.The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe

Plot is the literary element that describes the structure of a story. It shows the a causal arrangement of events and actions within a story. Plot Structure

Plot ComponentsExposition: the start of the story, the situation before the action startsRising Action: the series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climaxClimax: the turning point, the most intense momenteither mentally or in actionFalling Action: all of the action which follows the climaxResolution: the conclusion, the tying together of all of the threads

Plot Components ExplainedExposition: The mood and conditions existing at the beginning of the story. The setting is identified. The main characters with their positions, circumstances and relationships to one another are established. The exciting force or initial conflict is introduced. Sometimes called the Narrative HOOK this begins the conflict that continues throughout the story.Rising Action: The series of events, conflicts, and crises in the story that lead up to the climax, providing the progressive intensity, and complicate the conflict.Climax: The turning point of the story. A crucial event takes place and from this point forward, the protagonist moves toward his inevitable end. The event may be either an action or a mental decision that the protagonist makes.Falling Action: The events occurring from the time of the climax to the end of the story. The main character may encounter more conflicts in this part of the story, but the end is inevitable.Resolution/Denouement: The tying up of loose ends and all of the threads in the story. The conclusion. The hero character either emerges triumphant or is defeated at this point.

Plot: Conflict Conflict is the dramatic struggle between two forces in a story. Conflicts lead you through the story to the climax. Without conflict, there is no plot.

Plot: Types of Conflict

ThemeTheme is the central underlying message about life or human nature in a story.

-It tells the big ideas around which the author was writing.

-In order to identify a theme of a story, one must know the whole story.

Ex. Dont judge a book by its cover In good vs. evil, good usually wins.

ToneTone is the attitude a writer takes towards a subject or character.

It is revealed in the writers choice of words and details.

Examples include: serious, humorous, sarcastic, ironic, formal, playful

Other terms:MoodForeshadowingPoint of ViewThird Person (Omniscient) Point of ViewLimited Omniscient Point of ViewFirst PersonSymbolism

*Plot is the literary element that describes the structure of a story. A plot diagram is an organizational tool, which is used to map the significant events in a story. By placing the most significant events from a story on the plot diagram, you can visualize the key features of the story. *Exposition: The mood and conditions existing at the beginning of the story. The setting is identified. The main characters with their positions, circumstances and relationships to one another are established. The exciting force or initial conflict is introduced. Sometimes called the Narrative HOOK this begins the conflict that continues throughout the story.Rising Action: The series of events, conflicts, and crises in the story that lead up to the climax, providing the progressive intensity, and complicate the conflict.Climax: The turning point of the story. A crucial event takes place and from this point forward, the protagonist moves toward his inevitable end. The event may be either an action or a mental decision that the protagonist makes.Falling Action: The events occurring from the time of the climax to the end of the story. The main character may encounter more conflicts in this part of the story, but the end is inevitable.Resolution/Denouement: The tying up of loose ends and all of the threads in the story. The conclusion. The hero character either emerges triumphant or is defeated at this point.