Download Elements of a Short Story - Laurel Public Schools / Overview

Elements of a Short Story
A short story is a work of fiction
that can be read in one sitting.
Plot

The chain of related events that take
place in a story.

Built around conflict, which is a struggle
between opposing forces.
Plot at a Glance
climax
falling action
rising action
resolution
exposition
Expositiongives the background of the story
Rising Actionintroduces complications; builds suspense
Climax-
the turning point of the story
suspense reaches its peak
Falling Action and Resolution
resolves the conflict
usually ties up loose ends
The plot of a short story centers
around conflict. Conflict is a
struggle between opposing
forces.
Complications build the
reader’s excitement.
Types of Conflict
•External
-Man v Man
-Man v Nature
-Man v Obstacle or Society
•Internal
-Man v Himself
Methods of Characterization
Creating Believable Characters

Indirect

Direct
– physical appearance
– speech, thoughts,
feelings, or actions
of the character
– speech, thoughts,
feelings, or actions
of other characters
– the narrator’s direct
comments about a
character
Types of Characters
•Protagonist or Antagonist
•Round or Flat (Dynamic or
Static)
Protagonist: One character is
clearly central to the story with
all major events having some
importance to this character he/she is the PROTAGONIST.
Antagonist: The opposer of the
main character is called the
ANTAGONIST.
Round: A round character is a major character in
a work of fiction who encounters
conflict and is changed by it. Round
characters tend to be more fully
developed.
Flat: A flat character is a minor character
in a work of fiction who does not
undergo substantial change or
growth in the course of a story.
Setting= time and place
-puts the reader in the story by
giving the reader the feeling of
being in the situation.
-creates atmosphere by the
positive or negative feelings
associated with the place.
Point of View or . . .
(Who’s telling this story
anyway?)
-the vantage point from which the story
is told.
-determines how much we, the readers,
know about the characters.
1st Person
• Narrator is a character in the story.
•Narrator uses first-person pronouns, I,
me, my, we, us, our to refer to himself or
herself.
•Narrator knows the thoughts and
feelings of one character and speaks
directly to reader.
3rd Person Limited
•Narrator does not participate in action of
story.
•Narrator does not refer to himself or
herself.
•Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings
of one character, but readers are able to
maintain some emotional distance from the
character.
3rd Person Omniscient
•Narrator does not participate in action of
story.
•Narrator does not refer to himself or
herself.
•Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings
of all characters; readers get insight into
several characters.
Theme
In literature, theme is a perception about life or
human nature that the writer wants to share with the
reader.
In most cases, the theme is not stated directly but
must be inferred.
Themes can be revealed by
- a story’s title
- key phrases and statements about big ideas
- the ways the characters change and the
lessons they learn about life.
Let’s practice finding the theme:
Tim hated his old baseball glove. He
wanted to play with a new glove, but he
didn’t have any money, so he decided to
steal it. But when Tim got caught stealing
the glove, his parents said he couldn’t play
baseball all summer.
•What life lesson is the being conveyed?
•What message is the author trying to tell?
Theme
The lesson of the story is that
if you want something, you
should work for it.