1. Mrs. D’s Short Story Unit
Guided Notes

2. What is a short story???
A Short story – can be up to 60 pages in length, and it can be read in one sitting (one hour).

3. Main Purposes for a Short Story:
1. To instruct (teach)- what lesson can the reader learn from this story?
2. To entertain - simply put: was the reader amused?

4. Elements of a Story

5. Plot – sequence of events in a story.
Climax
Falling Action
Rising Action
Denouement / Resolution
Inciting Incident
Exposition

6. Exposition
introduces the setting —the time and place of the story, the characters, and the basic situation. This is where the reader learns the basics of the story – who the protagonist (hero, main character) is, where they are, and a little bit of information about the characters.

7. the event which causes the conflict.
Inciting Incident
the event which causes the conflict.

8. Rising action
introduces the conflict or problem of the story. As the story progresses, the reader learns about the problems the characters are facing and who the antagonist is (not always at first).

9. Climax
is the turning point of a story. This is where the story changes. The protagonist may have a change of heart, a realization, or external events may cause a change.

10. Falling action
is the part of the story when the conflict lessens. Now that the characters have come to the turning point, they begin working on solving the conflict(s).

11. Denouement (Resolution)
is the story’s ending / resolution of conflict Please remember that the denouement is the resolution of the story, and that resolution of a conflict is not always “And they lived happily ever after.” Sometimes resolution is, “And everybody died.”

12. a person or animal depicted in the narrative of a story
Characters
a person or animal depicted in the narrative of a story
(sometimes things can be characters, too… think “Beauty and the Beast”)

13. Character traits
are the characteristics, qualities, and distinguishing features that a character possesses—such as dependability or intelligence.

14. Character’s motives
are reasons for a character’s actions. This motivation may come from internal causes like loneliness or jealousy, or from external causes like danger or poverty.

15. Types of Characters
Protagonist – hero/main character; he or she learns a lesson.
Antagonist – causes problems – intentionally OR unintentionally - for the protagonist. The antagonist is not always “bad.”
ROUND /DYNAMIC– These characters are multi-dimensional, they’re like us; they have faults. The protagonist is always a round character.
FLAT/STATIC– These characters do not change. They are usually stereotypes.
Anti-hero - a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes.

16. Conflict
Internal – man vs. self– a conflict within yourself. This conflict takes place in the mind of a character. He or she is usually struggling with a decision
External – man vs. man; man vs. nature, man vs. society – a conflict outside of your own head, you cannot control it. External conflict is when a character struggles with an outside force. These are visible conflicts, whereas internal conflicts are not always easy to see.

17. Theme
Stated – the author states the theme in the text “The moral of the story is…” Implied – can be derived (figured out) from what happens to the characters Universal – can be derived from pretty much any story; they apply to all of life. Universal themes are recurring; they contain a message about life that is expressed regularly in many different cultures and time periods.

18. Setting
time and place.
Sometimes the setting is only a backdrop for the action. Other times, the setting can be the force that the characters struggle against, the source of a story’s conflict. It also can create a mood or emotional atmosphere.

19. Literary Devices

20. Point of View
the perspective from which the story is told (who is telling the story?)
First Person – The narrator is directly involved in the action of the story (Written with “I/me”)
 Second Person – Written as a command/directions – “You do this/You do that” (“Choose Your Own Adventure” stories)
 Third Person – A narrator that is not involved in the story, can let you know the thoughts of multiple characters. We call this an omniscient narrator; omniscient means all-knowing. (Written as “he/she” and uses character names; the only “I/me” would be in dialogue)

21. the author gives you hints about future events
Foreshadowing
the author gives you hints about future events

22. Flashback
the author refers back to events that occurred previously (usually before the story began).

23. Irony
The outcome of the story is different from what the reader expected would happen

24. Mood – The feeling a reader gets when reading a story.
Mood versus Tone
Mood – The feeling a reader gets when reading a story.
Tone – The author’s attitude about what he or she has written.

25. Imagery
The use of descriptive writing to create mental pictures for the reader.

26. Suspense
The use of literary devices such as foreshadowing and flashback create a feeling of uncertainty or anticipation of what is to come.

27. Dialogue
conversation between two or more characters in a book, play, or movie. Dialogue is usually set off by quotation marks, and it may include writing that is grammatically incorrect to match the traits of the characters.

28. Symbolism
using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning. (dove = peace; American flag = democracy or freedom)

29. Genre
a general type of literature, usually divided into 3 major categories (prose, drama, poetry). Each major genre can have many minor genres (horror, romance, historical fiction, science fiction, drama, etc.).