1. Elements of a Short Story

2. OBJECTIVES Identify elements of a short story
Define elements of a short story
Demonstrate mastery of short story elements

3. OVERVIEW
Short stories often contain structural and character elements that should be familiar to you. These elements can be used as guides to help you think about the actions, themes, and contexts of the story.

4. Genre: a distinctive category of literary composition

5. Inference
A conclusion reached based on textual evidence and reasoning

6. Elements of a Short Story
Theme
The subject of a story.
It is not a moral, lesson, or a rule for living.
It is a general idea
Ex.
Love
Family Feud
Themes from ‘The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet’

7. Central Idea The most important or central thoughts
Tells reader what text is about
More specific to the story

8. “STEAL” CHARACTERIZATION
The description of the personalities of the characters in the story and the ways in which authors reveal their personalities:
Speech
Thoughts
Effect on other characters
Action
Looks
“STEAL”

9. Dialogue Conversations between people in a piece of writing.
Usually has quotation marks (“Hello”)

10. THEME
The main idea of a literary work, usually expressed as a generalization and in sentence form.
Example: “Forgiveness is the key to true happiness.”
SETTING
The time and place in which the story is set.

11. “Characters in the plot connect us with the vastness of our secret life, which is endlessly explorable.” – Eudora Welty
CHARACTERS
The point of writing stories: telling us what human beings are like.
Characters allow readers to “see” life from different perspectives and to “meet” new (or familiar) people.

12. FORESHADOWING
A warning or indication of future event(s)

13. FLASHBACK
A scene in a movie set in a time earlier than the main story.
Goes back in time

14. Point of View The position of the author or character
It is their attitude

15. Point of View
First Person Point of View- a character from the story is telling the story; uses the pronouns “I” and “me”
Second Person Point of View- the narrator tells the story to another character using the words “you”
Third Person Point of View- an outside narrator is telling the story; uses the pronouns “he”, “she”, “they”

16. Types of Third-Person Point of View
Third-Person Limited
The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings on only ONE character in a story.
Third-Person Omniscient
The narrator knows the thoughts and feeling of ALL the characters in a story.

17. Tone and Mood Tone: The author’s attitude toward the subject
Mood: the emotion the reader feels from a piece of literature

18. Characters Protagonist and antagonist are used to describe characters.
The protagonist is the main character of the story, the one with whom the reader identifies. This person is not necessary “good”.
The antagonist is the force in opposition of the protagonist; this person may not be “bad” or “evil”, but he/she opposes the protagonist in a significant way

19. Conflict = Struggle

20. Conflict External Conflict:
Conflict between a character and another person OR a character and something non-human.
- Man vs. Man
- Man vs. Society
- Man vs. Nature

21. Conflict Internal Conflict:
Conflict takes place inside a character’s mind
Man vs. Himself (fears, self-doubts, etc.)

22. Parts of a Plot
Exposition - introduction; characters, setting and conflict (problem) are introduced
Rising Action- where the conflict starts to develop
Climax- highest point of interest or suspense of a story
Falling Action - tension eases; events show the results of how the main character begins to resolve the conflict
Resolution- loose ends are tied up; the conflict is solved

23. Plot Diagram 3 4 2 1 5

24. Exposition
This usually occurs at the beginning of a short story. Here the characters are introduced. We also learn about the setting of the story. Most importantly, we are introduced to the main conflict (main problem).

25. 2. Rising Action
This part of the story begins to develop the conflict(s). A building of interest or suspense occurs and leads to the climax. Complications arise

26. 3. Climax
This is the turning point of the story. Usually the main character comes face to face with a conflict. The main character will change in some way. This is the most intense moment.

27. 4. Falling Action
Action that follows the climax and ultimately leads to the resolution

28. 5. Resolution The conclusion; all loose ends are tied up.
Either the character defeats the problem, learns to live with the problem, or the problem defeats the character.

29. Putting It All Together
1. Exposition
2. Rising Action
3. Climax
4. Falling Action
5. Resolution
Beginning of Story
Middle of Story
End of Story

30. Diagram of Plot Climax Falling Action Development/ Rising Action
Introduction/ Exposition
Resolution
Setting, characters, and conflict are introduced

31. PLOT
The sequence or order of events in a story, each event connected to the next like a chain. Each event in a plot “hooks” our curiosity and pulls us forward to the next event.
Suspense builds as the series of related events hook our curiosity.
The plot includes the following (4) parts:

32. Types of Linear Plots Chronological Flashback
In media res (in the middle of things): when the story starts in the middle of the action without an exposition.

33. CHRONOLOGICAL PLOT DIAGRAM
Climax
Rising Action
Conflict
Falling Action
Exposition
Resolution

34. 1. Basic Situation/Exposition
Exposition Statement – This is the part of the plot that tells how the story begins. The character, conflict, and setting are usually introduced.
Example ~ Cinderella
The basic situation shows us Cinderella, a beautiful and good heroine, in a conflict with her evil stepmother and nasty stepsisters.

35. 2. Rising Action/Complication
The part of the story in which the main character takes some action to resolve the conflict and meets with problems or complications: danger, fear, hostility, etc.
Example ~ Cinderella
Cinderella wants to go to the ball. Her stepmother says “No,” but a Fairy Godmother promises to get her to the ball if she obeys one rule: “Be home by midnight.” Cinderella goes to the ball, the Prince falls in love with her, she flees at midnight, and she loses one of her glass slippers.

36. 3. Climax Climax: the KEY scene of the story
That tense or exciting moment when we realize what the outcome of the conflict is going to be.
Example ~ Cinderella
The Prince makes a house-to-house search for the foot that fits the slipper and finds that foot on Cinderella.

37. 4. Falling Action(s) All of the action which follows the climax
Example ~ Cinderella:
Cinderella and the prince make preparations for their wedding.

38. 5. Resolution/Denouement
The final part of the story. (The French word, denouement, means “unraveling the knot”).
You learn how the conflict is resolved and what happens to the characters.
Example ~ Cinderella
Cinderella marries the Prince and they live happily ever after. In the original Girmm story, you also learn that ravens peck out the eyes of the evil stepmother.

39. CONCLUSION
Now that we have identified and defined the elements of a short story, let us use the elements to analyze the short story by Ray Bradbury, “The Pedestrian”. You may use your notes from the PowerPoint presentation.

40. Bibliography
Dinneen, K. Elements of the Short Story. Retrieved Jun , 2003, from Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute:
Five Elements of a Story. Retrieved Jun. 19, 2003,
Guevin, D. Short Story Elements. Retrieved Jun. 19, 2003,
Anderson, Robert, Et. al. Elements of Literature. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1989.