Elements of a Short Story Setting, Tone, Plot, Conflict, Point of View, Universal Theme, Allusion, Irony L.J. Palma © 2007 www.buildingperception.com

Setting The time and location in which a story takes place. There are several aspects of a story's setting to consider when examining how setting contributes to a story (some, or all, may be present in a story): Location: Where does the action occur? PLACE Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc? WEATHER CONDITIONS When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day, year, etc) TIME What’s the daily life of the character like? Does the story contain local color (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, customs, etc. of a particular place)? SOCIAL CONDITIONS What feeling is created at the beginning of the story?  Is it bright and cheerful or dark & frightening? MOOD The main question to ask: How does the setting impact the plot, character, theme, and tone of a story?

Tone Tone - the attitude a writer takes toward a subject, character, or audience EXAMPLES OF TONE: serious solemn sarcastic objective enthusiastic humorous hostile disapproving personal mocking impersonal nostalgic

Plot How the author arranges events to develop his basic idea; it’s the sequence of events in a story.  The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and end.  The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting.  There are five essential parts of plot: C c)  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? a)  Exposition- The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed. e)  Denouement- This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story. D B d)  Falling action - The events & complications begin to resolve themselves.  The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between climax & resolution). b)  Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax). A E

Conflict Conflict is essential to plot. Without conflict there is no plot. It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move. Conflict is not merely limited to open arguments, rather it is any form of opposition that faces the main character. There are two types of conflict: 1) External - A struggle with a force outside one's self. 2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.

Conflict cont. There are several kinds of conflict: 1) Man vs. Man (physical) - The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men, forces of nature, or animals. 2) Man vs. Environment (classical) - The leading character struggles against fate, or force of nature. 3) Man vs. Society (social) - The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, laws, or customs of other people. 4) Man vs. Self (personal)- The leading character struggles with himself, with his own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc. 5) Man vs. Technology- The leading character struggles with tech!

Point of View The angle from which the story is told. First Person The story is told  by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc).  The reader sees the story through this person's eyes as he/she experiences it and only knows what he/she knows or feels.

Point of View cont. The angle from which the story is told. Third Person Limited: The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc).  We know only what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author chooses to reveal them to us.

Point of View The angle from which the story is told. Third Person Omniscient: The author tells the story in the third person.  It appears as though a camera is following the characters, going anywhere, and recording only what is seen and heard.  There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts. No interpretations are offered.  The reader is placed in the position of spectator without the author there to explain.  The reader has to interpret events on his own.

Universal Themes Struggle with nature Survival of the fittest The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight.  It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey.  Struggle with nature Survival of the fittest Coming of age Power of love Loss of innocence Struggle with self Power of nature Alienation and isolation Disillusionment with life Effects of scientific progress Honoring the historical past Good overcoming evil Tolerance of the atypical To identify theme, ask yourself, what view of life does a work support? What insight into life in the real world does it reveal?

Allusion An allusion is a reference to a statement, person, place, or event from literature, history, religion, mythology, politics, science, or pop culture. Examples: Describing a task as requiring a Herculean effort is an allusion to mythology. Describing Russell Simmons as a titan in the music industry is also an allusion to mythology.

Three Types of Irony Dramatic - when the audience knows something the character does not Situational - when the opposite of what is expected happens Verbal - saying the opposite of what is meant (similar to sarcasm)