1. Elements of the Short Story
English 10
Mrs. Taylor

2. Plot Structure
Go to the end of your literary terms booklet and copy the following chart
Exposition/Introduction: background about characters, setting, situation
Rising Action: conflict arises, more information is learned about characters and setting
4. Climax: when action reaches the highest point
Falling Action: the story begins wrapping up, characters are dealing with whatever happened in the climax
Resolution/Denouement: This tells how the story concludes
Climax
Falling Action
Rising Action
Exposition
Resolution

3. 3. Character: A person or entity in a story
Round: The character has many traits explored in the story
Dynamic: The character grows and changes in the story
Static: The character does not grow and change in the story
Flat: The character has few traits explored in the story
4. Conflict: the problems of the story
External Internal
Person vs. person Person vs. self
Person vs. society

4. How Writers Create Setting
32. Setting: The time and place of a story
Details: Adding details makes the story seem more believable.
11. Imagery: Adding details that appeal to the reader’s sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing creates a vivid picture.
Why is setting important? Because it often indicates MOOD.
15. Mood is the emotion or feeling that the author communicates to the reader through a variety of details—particularly at the beginning of the story.

5. 26.Point of View: This is the view from which the story is told
Ask yourself, “Who is telling the story?”

6. First Person The narrator tells the story using “I”

7. Omniscient
An outside force without clear identity tells the story. Often described as a God-like narrator.
This narrator knows all thoughts and feelings of characters and may comment on their behavior and its meaning.

8. Limited Omniscient
An omniscient narrator who can only tell the story with insight into one character knowing what he/she sees, feels etc.

9. Objective/Dramatic Point of View :
The story is told through dialogue and action alone

10. 39. Theme: what the story is about--the issues that it explores
A theme is a universal idea.
A theme teaches a specific lesson or moral.
Most stories have more than one theme.
When discussing Theme in your literary writing, you must express it as a THEME STATEMENT:
For example: sometimes it’s better to turn a person in to the cops if it means they will turn their life around and be a more positive and successful person!

11. 11. Imagery: uses details and figurative language appealing to the five senses to describe something and to evoke feelings in the reader
The icy hail
furiously pelted
my car, leaving
magnificent holes
in the smooth hood.
The sound pierced
my ears ruthlessly, as I
tried to find shelter.
Imagery gives you detailed pictures in your mind.

12. 38. Symbol: an image, character, or action that stands for an idea beyond its literal meaning
Some aren’t...
Some are obvious...

13. 12. Irony: to intend a meaning opposite of what is expected
12.Irony: to intend a meaning opposite of what is expected. There are a few kinds of irony.
Dramatic Irony: The audience knows something that the character does not.
Situational Irony: when the opposite of what was expected happens.
Verbal Irony: When someone says the opposite of what they mean. Often witty.

14. Dramatic Irony: You know what the farmer does not.

15. Situational Irony: You’d expect cheetahs to run, not speed-walk.

16. Which kind of irony is this?

17. Which kind of irony is this?

18. What might this be foreshadowing?
7. Foreshadowing: A writing technique that gives readers clues about what will happen later in the story.
“As he pondered the morning, he reassured himself that he locked the door. Something kept telling him otherwise, but he pushed it out of his mind.”
What might this be foreshadowing?

19. 27. Protagonist: the main character in the story. 40
27. Protagonist: the main character in the story Antagonist: the force against the protagonist

20. 33. Simile: comparing two things using like or as for literary effect.
Eg. Her hair was as soft as cotton.
Her hair was like a brush made of wires
14. Metaphor: comparing two things without using like or as for literary effect.
Eg. A heavy blanket of snow fell all day long.

21. 41. Flashback: details from an earlier point in time are revealed to the reader

22. 1. Alliteration
Repetition of the opening sound at the beginning of two or more words in a row.
Eg. The dank dog drank

23. 16. Narrator
Person or entity who tells a story.
18. Onomatopoeia
Sound word
Eg.. Whisper
24. Personification
Giving human-like qualities to non-human entities.
Eg. The sun danced joyfully in the blue sky