Elements of a Short Story A short story is a work of fiction that can be read in one sitting.

Plot The chain of related events that take place in a story. Built around conflict, which is a struggle between opposing forces.

Plot at a Glance climax falling action rising action resolution exposition

Exposition- gives the background of the story Rising Action- introduces complications; builds suspense Climax- the turning point of the story suspense reaches its peak Falling Action and Resolution resolves the conflict usually ties up loose ends

The plot of a short story centers around conflict The plot of a short story centers around conflict. Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces. Complications build the reader’s excitement.

Types of Conflict External -Man v Man -Man v Nature -Man v Obstacle or Society Internal -Man v Himself

Methods of Characterization Creating Believable Characters Indirect physical appearance speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of the character speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of other characters Direct the narrator’s direct comments about a character

Types of Characters Protagonist or Antagonist Round or Flat (Dynamic or Static)

Protagonist: One character is clearly central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character - he/she is the PROTAGONIST.  Antagonist: The opposer of the main character is called the ANTAGONIST.

Round: A round character is a major character in a work of fiction who encounters conflict and is changed by it. Round characters tend to be more fully developed. Flat: A flat character is a minor character in a work of fiction who does not undergo substantial change or growth in the course of a story.

Setting= time and place -puts the reader in the story by giving the reader the feeling of being in the situation. -creates atmosphere by the positive or negative feelings associated with the place.

(Who’s telling this story anyway?) Point of View or . . . (Who’s telling this story anyway?) -the vantage point from which the story is told. -determines how much we, the readers, know about the characters.

1st Person Narrator is a character in the story. Narrator uses first-person pronouns, I, me, my, we, us, our to refer to himself or herself. Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of one character and speaks directly to reader.

3rd Person Limited Narrator does not participate in action of story. Narrator does not refer to himself or herself. Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of one character, but readers are able to maintain some emotional distance from the character.

3rd Person Omniscient Narrator does not participate in action of story. Narrator does not refer to himself or herself. Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters; readers get insight into several characters.

Theme In literature, theme is a perception about life or human nature that the writer wants to share with the reader. In most cases, the theme is not stated directly but must be inferred. Themes can be revealed by - a story’s title - key phrases and statements about big ideas - the ways the characters change and the lessons they learn about life.

Let’s practice finding the theme: Tim hated his old baseball glove. He wanted to play with a new glove, but he didn’t have any money, so he decided to steal it. But when Tim got caught stealing the glove, his parents said he couldn’t play baseball all summer. What life lesson is the being conveyed? What message is the author trying to tell?

Theme The lesson of the story is that if you want something, you should work for it.