1. Literary Elements

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. Elements of a Short Story
Plot
- exposition statement
- rising action
*conflict
- climax
- falling action
- resolution
Theme
Setting
Characters
Point of view
Characterization

5. THEME
The main idea of a literary work, usually expressed as a generalization.
SETTING
The time and place in which a work of literature happens.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. POINT OF VIEW CHARACTERS The people (or actors) in the story.
The story teller from whose point of view the story is being told, the narrator.

9. CHARACTERIZATION
The description of the personalities of the characters in the story and the way in which an author reveals their personalities.

10. 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

11. (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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. PLOT The sequence or order of events in a story. The plot includes:
Exposition Statement - The part of the plot that tells how the story begins.
Rising Action - The action in the story leading up to the climax.
Conflict - Struggles or problems between opposing forces.

16. More PLOT
Climax - The point of crisis in the plot. It may be the reader’s point of highest interest.
Falling action - The action in the story after the climax is revealed.
Resolution - The part of the plot that reveals the final outcome.

17. PLOT DIAGRAM Climax Rising Action Conflict Exposition Resolution
Falling Action
Exposition
Resolution

18. 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.

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

20. 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,