SHORT STORY UNIT  “A Ghost in the Mill” by Harriet Beecher Stowe  “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett  “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman  “The Shawl” by Cynthia Ozick  “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan

Definition Short Story -- a brief work of fiction; usually one main character faces a conflict that is worked out in the plot of the story; emerged as a distinct literary form in the 19th century (1800’s)

Edgar Allen Poe’s Requirements for a “Short Story” 1.It should be capable of being read in one sitting. 2.The story should contribute to one effect; everything should relate to one plot.

Revealing the Character The short story, unlike a novel, tends to reveal character through actions or under stress, the purpose being accomplished when the reader comes to know what the true nature of the character is.

Elements of a Short Story 1. Plot -- sequence of events/pattern of action 2. Characterization -- presentation of the people who take part in the action 3. Point of view -- angle or perspective from which story is told 4. Setting -- when, where action takes place 5. Theme -- insight into life revealed in story (moral of the story)

1. Plot  EXPOSITION -- characters, setting, and basic situation are introduced  RISING ACTION  INCITING INCIDENT – the first real action, which introduces the...  central CONFLICT -- the struggle between opposing forces  builds SUSPENSE— what keeps us reading  CLIMAX - high point of interest or suspense  FALLING ACTION  RESOLUTION -- (end) of central conflict and/or DENOUEMENT -- (unraveling) any events that occur after the resolution

Continued Plot Plot also involves: –characters –complications that delay the resolution of the conflict –crisis - the turning point for the protagonist when he/she changes his/her situation or reaches some new understanding; often coincides with the climax –suspense - quality of story that keeps one reading to find out what will happen next

Continued - Plot Foreshadowing - use of hints about what is going to happen often used to keep us reading in suspense sometimes clear enough to let reader know something is in store but ambiguous enough to keep one guessing Conflict – External conflict - between characters or between character and natural forces: –Man vs. Man –Man vs. Nature –Man vs. Society Internal conflict - within a character (conflicting ideas, feelings, etc.) –Man vs. Self

2. Characterization Characterization -- a character’s personality or the method by which the writer reveals this personality. (Character traits = qualities that make one unique.) Direct characterization - writer tells us directly what a character is like Indirect characterization - writer lets us know about the character through one or more of the following: 1.dialogue - what character says 2.what he/she does3.his or her thoughts 4.what other characters think or say about or how they react toward the other character

Other terms to understand relating to short stories Verisimilitude - “similar to the truth” –appearance of reality in a work of fiction –created by giving characters the mannerisms, speech, and traits of real people –Because these characters are true to life, we respond to them as we do toward people we know. Dialect -- a way of speaking that is common to people in a particular region. –usually dialect is informal, intimate language that sounds like the spoken voice –is more authentic than if the author changed to standard English Dialogue -- conversation -- it may be fragmented, because that is how people talk informally

Irony Verbal Irony--a figure of speech in which the actual intent is expressed in words opposite the meaning Situational Irony--when events happen that are previously unexpected Dramatic Irony--when the audience knows more than the characters do about the situation often creating humor or even a foreboding meaning to the audience

3. Point of View (& 4 types) Perspective from which the story is written 1. First-person narration - one of the characters in the story relates the events and uses the pronoun I or we. 2. Third-person narration - narrator is a voice outside of the story who refers to all of the characters as he, she, or they. 3. Third-person omniscient narration - when the outside voice is all-seeing and all- knowing; the omniscient narrator can tell us things that the characters in the story do not know, can enter the minds of characters, telling us what they think and feel and how they view events.

Continued Point of View 4. Limited third-person narration - when the narrator relates the story, but from the point of view of one of the characters; reader only knows what the character knows.  Perspective - an author’s unique way of looking at and understanding an issue or event  May be shaped by many factors: gender, age, cultural heritage, and personal experiences or expectations

4.Setting 1. The physical background (time and place) in which a story occurs 2. The cultural background against which an action takes place Customs, ideas, values, and beliefs of a society (sometimes more important than physical setting)

5.Theme The general idea or insight into life that the story presents through characters and action –Expressed in statement, not a word! oMay be about problems, conditions, or situations in human life oThough usually implied, sometimes, the author will include key statements that point to the theme or serve as clues to the theme