Short Stories

Literary Elements Plot Character Point of View Theme

Exposition The beginning of the story where the characters, setting, and basic situation are revealed.

Rising Action This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the exposition and climax).

Climax This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?

Falling Action The events and complications begin to resolve themselves.

Resolution This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.

Characterization Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves. The author may reveal a character in several ways: a) his/her physical appearance b) what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams c) what he/she does or does not do d) what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

Types of Characterization Direct Characterization: Statements in a story that tell you directly what a character is like. EX: “ Although he was tough, he was very friendly” Indirect Characterization: Showing rather than telling what a character is like. You must read and make your own conclusions about the character.

Kinds of Characters Protagonist: The character that is central to the story, with all major events having some importance to this character. Antagonist: The opposer of the main character

Types of Characters Static Character – a character that remains primarily the same throughout a story or novel. Events in the story do not alter a static character’s outlook, personality, motivation, perception, habits, etc. Cinderella’s Stepsisters Dynamic Character - a character who changes during the course of a story or novel. The change in outlook or character is permanent. –Ebenezer Scrooge

Point of View. Vantage point from which the story is being told. A story can be told from the point of view of one of its characters, or an outsider who simply observes the action.

Point of View First Person – When a story’s character tells the story (I, me, my). In this point of view we know only what one character can tell us. Ex: “I lay curled up on my bed and had an eerie feeling that there were monsters lurking underneath”

Point of View Third Person Objective: The narrator is not a character in the story. Narrator is only an observer who can tell what characters do or say, but cannot see into the minds of the character. Uses pronouns (he, she, it, they…..) Ex: “The boy lay on his bed, and two monsters lurked underneath.”

Point of View Third Person limited: Narrator is not a character in the story, but tells us about them. This POV only tells us about the thoughts and feelings of one specific character. We learn about the characters through this outside voice. (he, she, they) Ex: “ The boy lay curled on top of his bed, trying to figure out what might be lurking beneath him.”

Point of View Third Person Omniscient :The narrator is not a character in the story, but knows everything about all the characters. He/ she is all knowing, or omniscient. Ex: “ The boy lay on his bed trying to see through the dark. Two monsters lay under the bed, wishing they had more room.”

Point of View Second Person: Narrator refers to the main character(s) as “you”. Making the reader feel that they are part of the story. (this point of view is very rarely used) Ex: “You lay curled up on your bed wondering what could be lurking beneath it.”

Theme A truth about life that is revealed in a story, poem, or article. A theme is where the author shows their feels about a certain topic. EX: “ To be a good friend you must like yourself first”

Theme Topic VS. Theme Topic: What a story is about. Ex: Love Theme: Comments on the topic. Ex: True love is hard to find

Theme Recurring Theme: A theme that appears over and over again in literature, across different time periods and places. Ex: “Honesty is the best policy”

Theme Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are: - things are not always as they appear to be

Theme Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover

Theme To Find the Theme, Ask Yourself: How has the main character grown or changed? What are some important events that cause the change? What does this change suggest about life? How is the title related to the story?