Download Short Stories - Mrs. Russell`s Class

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introduces the characters, setting and
conflict. This is where the author tells the
audience who is going to be in the story,
where the story is taking place and what
the main characters may be facing.
this is the first major event that “gets the
plot moving”
 Where does this fit on our diagram?
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these are the incidents or plot points that
lead up to the climax.
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this is the most interesting part of the
story because the main character is
forced to face the major conflict.
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leads to the resolution and is the “tying
up of loose ends”
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is the portion of the story where the major
problem is solved. It comes after the climax
and falling action and is intended to bring
the story to a satisfactory, but believable,
end. Stories that end with things like: “I
woke up and it was all a dream” are,
generally, not satisfying because the
ending is not creative or suitable. Unless
very well written the “dream” ending shows
that a writer just wanted to stop writing.
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There is four main types of characters
› Static: a character who does not change
during the story.
› Dynamic: a character who undergoes a
change during the story.
› Flat: a one-sided character
› Round: a character with many sides to his
personality.
Protagonist: is the main character of the
story. HE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THE
“GOOD GUY”. Protagonists can be evil,
bad, or malicious. Freddy Krueger is not a
good guy, but he is the protagonist.
 Antagonist: is the opposition of the
protagonist. THE ANTAGONIST DOES NOT
HAVE TO BE A LIVING BEING. The antagonist
in The Perfect Storm was the weather. The
antagonist may take many forms: another
person, a force of nature, a situation, fate,
society, or the protagonist himself.
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Irony is when we expect one thing but
the opposite occurs.
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situational: depends a great deal on surprise.
Typically in cases of situational irony, the unexpected
happens.
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An example would be a man who takes a step aside in
order to avoid getting sprinkled by a wet dog, and falls
into a swimming pool."
verbal: when we say one thing but really mean
another. Sarcasm is a form of verbal irony.
› "The cake is as soft as concrete" - the person wants to tell
that the cake is not so soft to eat.
› "Water is as clear as mud" - The person actually says that
the water is not at all clear.
› "Isn't it as pleasant as a root canal?" - This implies that
whatever occurred was not pleasant at all.
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Dramatic irony: when the audience knows
what is happening before the characters do.
› For example, many horror movies utilize dramatic
irony. We know that the actor or actress should not
walk into the abandoned house, but they do.
› Or, In the movie “There’s Something about Mary”,
Ted thinks he's been arrested for picking up a
hitchhiker while the audience knows he's being
questioned by police about a murder, otherwise
innocuous lines he delivers, such as 'I've done it
several times before' and 'It's no big deal,'
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A problem /complication exists in ever
short story and this creates conflict. The
conflict can be internal or external. It is
the conflict that creates the tension in
the story.
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person vs. person: the protagonist
opposes another character.
 person vs. nature: the protagonist
opposes something in the natural
environment.
 person vs. society: when the protagonist
must overcome an element of society
and the accepted way of doing
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person vs. self: when the protagonist
must overcome something within
her/himself, when the character is
mentally torn in two different directions.
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It is possible for a protagonist to
experience more than one type of
conflict in a short story. By the end of the
story, the character either fails or
succeeds in solving her/his problem.
When the conflict is solved, it is called a
resolution.
1st Person – One of the characters is
telling the story
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EX. “I went to the store.”
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2nd Person – Rarely used; when the writer
is giving direct instruction to the reader.
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EX. “You went to the store.”
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3rd Person – When someone outside the story is
narrating.
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EX. “He/Bill went to the store.”
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There are 3 types of Third Person Narration:
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Unlimited Omniscient – Narrator can read the minds
of the characters.
Limited Omniscient – Narrator can read the mind of
ONE character.
Objective View – Like a camera, the narrator can
write about what the characters do, but not what
they think
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