SHORT STORIES

What is a Short Story ?A fictional prose narrative that is from about five to twenty book pages long.Short stories are more limited than novels.They usually have one or two major characters and one setting.

Short Story ElementsSettingCharactersPlotMoodPoint of ViewTheme

SettingThe time and place of a story, a poem, or a playHelps the reader paint a vivid picture in their mindsBrings the conflict and the mood into sharp focusOften limited to one or two scenes in a short story

CharactersA person or an animal in a story, play, or other literary workShort stories only have a few characters (usually 1 4)Short stories usually only have one main characterProtagonist main character (good guy)Antagonist opposing character or force (bad guy)

CharacterizationDirect characterization Writer tells you what the characters are like through descriptionIndirect characterization Writer shows you what the characters are like through their thoughts, their speech, their actions, and the reactions of other characters to them

PlotThe series of related events that make up the storyUsually uncomplicated and simple in a short storyPlot line has five parts:- Exposition- Rising Action- Climax- Falling Action - Resolution

ExpositionRising ActionClimaxFalling ActionResolution

ExpositionIntroduction of characters and setting of storyHooks the reader

Rising ActionIntroduces problem or conflict of the storyTells us what the protagonist (main character) is facing

Types of conflictMan vs. Man involves the main character and another character in the storyMan vs. society main character faces problem involving something in the society (i.e. racism)Man vs. Himself main character has an internal struggle inside him/herselfMan vs. Nature main character struggles with some natural force (i.e. tornado, harsh climate, etc.)

ClimaxThe point in the story where tension is the greatestHighest point of interest

Falling ActionEvents that lead to the end resolution of the story

ResolutionAll the problems are resolved, or worked out happily or unhappily.

MoodFeeling or emotion you get from a story- scary, strange, suspenseful, hopeful, easy, comfortable, desperate, relaxing, etc.

Usually developed by description and/or dialogue

Point of ViewThe angle from which the events are toldThe point of view from which a writer chooses to have a story told affects your impression of the characters and events

Point of ViewFirst-person point of view the narrator is the I telling the story- I, me, my

Third-person point of view story told by an outside observer- she, he, they, them

ThemeAn idea about life revealed in a work of literatureHas to be expressed in a full sentenceUsually not stated in the work The reader has to infer what it is