Short Story Elements Mrs. Stone CC RL.9-10.3 – Character’s advancement of plot and theme. CC RL.9-10. – Figurative and Connotative word meaning and effect on tone.

Characters Protagonist Antagonist Dynamic Static Round Flat

Characterization – how readers learn about characters Direct what the author tells us about the character’s personality Indirect what the character … does says thinks what the other characters say about him or her

Characterization Show and Tell Direct  Tell Peter was very lazy, and would never do more than was absolutely necessary. Indirect  Show Peter was bored with the TV show, but the remote control was across the room, so he just watched it anyway. Jan would be in soon, and she could fetch the remote control for him then.

Plot Climax: the turning point, the most intense moment—either mentally or in action Rising Action: the series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax Falling Action: event/complication begin to resolve. Exposition: the start of the story, the situation before the action starts Resolution: the conclusion, the tying together of all of the threads

Setting  time and place Functions of setting: background for action establishing the mood or atmosphere developing the main character setting as antagonist emphasizing the theme

Irony Isn’t it ironic? Verbal Situational Dramatic Type Definition Example Verbal the contrast between what is said and what is meant. Sarcasm Way to go, genius! Great! I failed! Situational the contrast between what happens and what was expected. is often humorous (ex. when a prank backfires on the prankster) Dramatic the contrast between what the character thinks to be true and what we (the reader) know to be true.  Sometimes we know more than what a character knows.  Because we know something they don’t, we read to see how the character will react when he or she learns the truth what we know. Criminal Minds. When we know “who did it” and the investigators don’t. Or When we know a character is walking into a prank.

Tone  Author’s attitude toward the subject Mood  feeling or atmosphere Author’s Purpose the author’s reason for writing

Conflict Internal External Human v. self Human v. human Human v. society Human v. nature Human v. fate Human v. technology Human v. supernatural

Conflict

Point of view 3rd Omniscient The narrator is a character in the story. 1st Person The narrator is a character in the story. 3rd Objective The narrator is outside of the story looking in. But he/she can only report what they see and hear for themselves. 3rd Limited The narrator is outside of the story looking in. He/she can report what they see and hear for themselves And the thoughts and actions of one character 3rd Omniscient The narrator is outside of the story looking in. He/she can report what they see and hear for themselves And the thoughts and actions of all of the characters

Point of view 1st Person 3rd Objective 3rd Limited 3rd Omniscient My sister and I went to the store! 3rd Objective She and her sister went to the store; the cashier was helpful. 3rd Limited She and her sister went to the store and she thought the cashier was friendly. 3rd Omniscient She and her sister went to the store; they both thought the cashier was friendly. The stock boy was working in the back while they shopped.

Theme a statement about life that the author is communicating through the selection. It is the message that unifies the work. Main idea of the work. Stated  obvious or clear themes. Sometimes the author tells us the lesson character learned in life. Implied  Reader must use clues in the story to find the theme Universal Themes that are common to most human situations

Symbolism

Author’s Purpose Flashback Foreshadowing His or her reason for writing – to entertain, to inform, to persuade, etc. A scene from the past interjected into the current plotline A hint of things to come

Imagery ` This is BORING without IMAGERY  Grandmother Workman reached over and grabbed her grandson's arm. He was nervous because the staircase was so steep, but she leaned against him and they began to climb. So let’s add Imagery

Grandmother Workman lurched over and grabbed the pale skin of Randal's thin forearm with her leathery hand. The folds and creases beneath her skin coiled themselves out like electrical wiring, like the bloated, roughly-textured relief map of the world that his mother just posted above his bedside table. Randal looked ahead toward the winding spiral staircase, fidgeted with a small hole in his baseball jersey, and bit his lip. His mouth filled with the sweet, coppery taste of blood as she leaned in closely toward him, breathing her hot breath on the damp hair at the base of his neck. She smelled of wet cigarettes and bacon. As they slowly climbed the long, steep staircase, the only sound was his grandmothers' labored breathing and the mournful creak of the wooden stairs.