Elements of Short Stories

Identify elements of a short story

Define elements of a short story

Demonstrate mastery of short story

elements

OBJECTIVES

Short stories often contain structural and character elements that should be familiar to you.

These elements can be used as guides to help you think about the actions, themes, and contexts of the story.

OVERVIEW

ThemeSettingCharactersPoint of viewCharacterization

Plot - exposition statement

- rising action - conflict - climax - falling action

- resolution

Elements of Short Stories

The main idea of a literary work, usually expressed as a generalization.

THEME

SETTINGThe time and place in which a work of literature happens.

The people (or actors) in the story. Can also be animals, plants, inanimate objects…

CHARACTERS

POINT OF VIEW The story teller from whose point of view the story is being told, the narrator. Can be first person, third person limited, or third person omniscient.

First Person Point of View – story is told by one of the characters in his or her own words (“I” or “me”); limited view since the reader is told only what this character knows and observes

Third Person Point of View – narrator tells the story from the vantage point of “he” or “she;” may be an omniscient (all-knowing)

observer who can describe all characters and actions in story as well as comment on what the characters think and feel;

might also be limited, where the narrator tells the story from the point of view of only one character.

More Point of View

CHARACTERIZATIONThe description of the personalities of the characters in the story and the way in which an author reveals their personalities; how the characters develop and change throughout the story.

The sequence or order of events in a story. The plot includes:- Exposition Statement - The part of the plot that tells how the story begins.

- Rising Action - The action in the story leading up to the climax.

- Conflict - Struggles or problems between opposing forces. Can be internal (within a character) or external (between two characters, emotions, or a combination).

PLOT

- Climax - The point of crisis in the plot. It may be the reader’s point of highest interest, may be the peak of the action.

- Falling action - The action in the story after the climax is revealed.

- Resolution - The part of the plot that reveals the final outcome. Can also be called the denouement.

More PLOT

PLOT DIAGRAM

Risin

g Ac

tion Falling

Action

Resolution

Climax

Exposition

Conflict

CONCLUSIONNow that we have identified and defined the elements of a short story, we will use the elements to analyze some of our readings.

BibliographyDinneen, K. Elements of the Short Story. Retrieved Jun.

19, 2003, from Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1983/3/83.03.09.x.html

Five Elements of a Story. Retrieved Jun. 19, 2003, http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-2277.html Guevin, D. Short Story Elements. Retrieved Jun. 19, 2003, http://www.uvm.edu/~dguevin/Elements.html