Elements of Short Stories

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SettingThe setting is the place where the story takes place. Setting includes the following:– The geographical location

• For example: London, Cairo, Halifax, Vancouver

– The time period• For example: 1865, during WWII, today

– The socio-economic characteristics of the location

• For example: wealthy suburbs

– The specific building, room etc.• For example: a prep school, a log cabin, a bus, a

military base

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. “It’s spring,” he said, and there was gladness rising in his voice that filled us all with the same feeling.

“It’s mighty late for it, but it’s spring” … We were all sniffing at

the air, too, trying to smell it the way that T.J. did, and I can still remember the sweet odor of the earth under our feet. It was the first time in my life that spring and spring earth had meant anything to me.

“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, though a singularly dreary tract of country.”

“The Fall of the House of Usher”

by Edgar Allan Poe

Characters• Protagonist: The main

character in a literary work (for instance, Charles in “Here There Be Tygers” or Cinderella or Snow White in the fairy tales named for their characters)

•Antagonist: The character who opposes the protagonist (for instance, Miss Bird in “Here There Be Tygers” or the wicked stepmothers in the fairy tales)

Methods of Characterization

“Jack had been in basic training in Florida and Dottie was there on vacation with her parents. They’d met on the 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.”“Furlough – 1944” by Harry Mazer

Direct Characterization: The author develops the personality of a character by direct statements.

Methods of Characterization

Indirect Characterization: Revealing a character’s personality through:

• The character’s thoughts, words, and actions

• The comments of other characters• The character’s physical

appearance

Indirect Characterization through Words

It was Kenny Griffen, smiling complacently. “Miss Bird sent me after you ‘cause you been gone six years. You’re in trouble… yer constipated!” Kenny chortled gleefully. “Wait’ll I tell Caaathy!”“Here There Be Tygers” by Stephen King

Indirect Characterization through Actions

“The boy held his breath; he wondered whether his father would hear his heart beating… Through a crack in the counter he could see his father where he stood, one hand held to his high stiff collar…”“I Spy” by Graham Greene

Indirect Characterization through Appearance

“Miss Kinney was young and blonde and bouncy and had a boyfriend who picked her up after school in a blue Camaro.”

“Here There Be Tygers” by Stephen King

Plot

Plot is how the author arranges events to develop his/her basic idea. It is the sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle and end.

Plot ComponentsIntroduction: 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 / Turning Point: The most intense

moment – either mentally or in action – the reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?

Falling Action: The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. (The events between the climax and the resolution)

Resolution: The conclusion, the untangling of events in the story

Plot: Conflict

Conflict is the dramatic struggle between two forces in a story. Without conflict there is no plot.

Plot: Types of Conflict

Interpersonal Conflict

• Human vs. Human• Human vs. Nature• Human vs. Society

Internal Conflict• Human vs. Self

Point of ViewThe angle or perspective from

which the story is told• Who is telling the story?

– For instance, is it a player on the home team or someone watching the game?

• How do we know what is happening?– For instance, does a character tell us?

First Person Point of View

Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters, using the first person pronoun “I”.

“The thousands of injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I give utterance to a threat.”

“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe

Third Person Point of ViewThe story is told using a narrator who is

located outside of the action of the story and uses third person pronouns such as “he”, “she”, “his”, “her”, “they” etc.

Third Person Point of View can be broken up into

three different types:• Omniscient• Limited Omniscient• Objective

Theme

• Theme is the central idea or central message of the story. It usually contains some insight into the human condition – telling something about humans and life.

• The theme can be stated directly or implied by the events and actions in the story.

Types of Irony• Verbal Irony:  This is the contrast between what is said

and what is meant. In other words: sarcasm. • Dramatic Irony:  This is the contrast between what the

character thinks to be true and what we (the reader) know to be true.  Sometimes as we read we are placed in the position of knowing more than what one character knows.  Because we know something the character does not, we read to discover how the character will react when he or she learns the truth of the situation. 

• Situational Irony:  This is the most common in literature.  It is the contrast between what happens and what was expected (or what would seem appropriate).  Because it emerges from the events and circumstances of a story it is often more subtle and effective than verbal or dramatic irony.

SymbolismA symbol represents an idea, quality,

or concept larger than itself.• A journey can

symbolize life

• Water may represent cleanliness and renewal

• A lion can bea symbol of courage.

• A red rosecan represent love.

Flashback

This is a writers’ technique in which the author interrupts the plot of the story to recreate an incident of an earlier time (goes back in time; like giving the reader a memory).  This device is often used to provide additional information to the reader.

Foreshadowing

This is a writers’ technique in which the author provides clues or hints as to what is going to happen later in the story.  It’s like the music in a scary movie when we know that something bad is about to happen.