1. The Short Story
Readings & Elements

2. Definition
Edgar Allan Poe, in his essay "The Philosophy of Composition," wrote that a short story should be read in one sitting, anywhere from a half hour to two hours.
Experimentation with literary devices
Unity:
One plot
One main character (with a few additional minor characters)
One central theme
One setting/time

3. Elements Character: dominant traits (flat, not round characters)
Plot: dialogue, opening sets tone, twist ending (complete reversal of all that’s been) or soft ending (implication that story continues close)
Setting: nature takes on significance
Point of View
Literary Devices:
Symbolism
Figurative language

4. “The Kiss” Author: Kate Chopin
Plot: Girl secures wealthy husband while attempting to string along another man.
SS Element to consider: Character
Names have meanings!
Dominant Traits: Natty, Braintain, Harvy

5. “Too Soon a Woman” Author: Dorothy Johnson
Plot: A young woman meets a family and tags along until a crisis of food and lodging causes her to rise above her circumstances and find some happiness.
SS Element to consider: Setting
Setting (Nature takes on significance)
Atmosphere or Tone
Influence over plot
How does setting operate as a character itself?
Character (Dominant Traits, Motivation)
Plot Development (Opening, Closing)

6. “Horse” Author: Ann Packer
Plot: Brainy girl tries to transform herself into a pom-pom girl and fails.
SS Element to consider: Point of View
Point of View – the power of perspective! What is known, perceived, realized?
Character (Dominant Traits, Motivation)
Plot Development (Opening, Close)

7. “A Measure of Freedom”
Author: Jade Snow Wong (autobiography written in 3rd person)
Plot: Immigrant daughter attends school and gains some wisdom and freedom.
SS Element to consider: Conflict
Chinese Culture vs. American Culture;
Student vs. Educator;
Daughter/Child vs. Parents;
Desires vs. Duty;
Individual vs. Family

8. “The Scholarship Jacket”
Author: Marta Salinas
Plot: Tex-Mex girl must rise above discrimination.
SS Element to consider: Plot Development
Exposition: setting/characters (Marta/Martha; farm; Tex-Mex conflict)
Rising Action: initial conflict (overhearing teachers  Grandpa’s refusal)
Climax: meeting with principal (facing prejudice)
Falling Action/Resolution: runs home to Grandpa with news

9. “Trip in a Summer Dress”
Author: Annette Sandford (major themes: “friendship, marriage, family”)
Plot: Young woman leaves behind mother (& son) to embark on a new life, only to realize (a) that her mother was right! or (b) stability and familial ties matter most.
SS Element to consider: Figurative Language
Sandford on language: “I am much concerned with rhythm in my prose, with character and with letting the story reveal itself to me…”
Metaphor; Simile; Allusion – influence over plot/characters?

10. Short Story Element Paper
For this essay, you are to identify a short story element at work within one of the short stories we have read so far: “The Kiss,” “Too Soon a Woman,” “Horse,” “A Measure of Freedom,” “The Scholarship Jacket” or “Trip in a Summer Dress.”
Next, you are to write a 1 ½ -- 2 pgd. paper, using the following format:
1-2 sentence topic (identify title of work and author; identify element under discussion and its effect on the story)
6-8 sentence body (identify 2-4 main ideas that use direct quotes from the story as proof for each idea; be sure to explain each quote!)
1-2 sentence conclusion (recap main ideas and topic of paper)
DUE: September 12, 2014

11. “Where are you going, where have you been?”
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Plot: Young girl thinks she’s too cool for her family only to realize that the world is a much scarier place full of lies and pretense.
Literary Theme: Coming-of-Age (bildungsroman: character grows psychologically and/or morally)
Character: Dominant Traits, Motivation
Setting: American Pop Culture in the 60s (compare to different times/places)
Plot Development: Exposition vs. Resolution (Connie at opening and close); Climax
Point of View: Connie’s? Arnold Friend’s? Parents?
Conflict: Parents vs. Connie; Arnold vs. Connie; Innocence vs. Ignorance
Figurative Language: Metaphors, Similes, Allusions?

12. “Mrs. Sen’s” Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Plot: Young woman misses native Indian home and fails to assimilate.
SS Element to consider: Character, Setting, Point of View, Conflict
Thematic Elements: loneliness, broken communication, identity, coming-of-age
Character: Mrs. Sen (ethnic identity), Eliot (latchkey kid)
Setting: New England; college town; inside Mrs. Sen’s home
Point of View: What does Eliot see/understand that his mother or Mr. Sen doesn’t?
Conflict: America vs. India; Mrs. Sen vs. Eliot’s mother; Mrs. Sen vs. Mr. Sen

13. Coming-Of-Age Theme in Literature
For this essay, you are to choose either two characters from the different short stories we have discussed in class and compare or contrast their coming-of-age or delineate the coming-of-age of one character from “Mrs. Sen’s” or “WAYGWHYB?”
Next, you are to write a 1 ½ -- 2 pgd. paper, using the following format:
1-2 sentence topic (identify titles and authors; identify characters and how they connect to one another)
6-8 sentence body (identify 3 similarities or differences between the characters you have chosen to compare or identify 3 key moments of growth; use direct quotes from each story as proof for each idea; be sure to explain each quote!)
1-2 sentence conclusion (recap main ideas and topic of paper)
DUE: September 18, 2014