Elements of Short Stories PowerPoint adapted from:

Setting The setting is the place where the story takes place. Setting includes the following: The geographical location For example: London, Cairo, Logan, Vancouver The time period For example: 1865, during WWII, today The socio-economic characteristics of the location For example: wealthy suburbs The specific building, room etc. For example: a prep school, a log cabin, a bus, a military base

Setting Can be used to tell readers about the characters: That evening T.J. smelled the air, his nostrils dilating with the odor of the earth under his feet. “It’s spring,” he said, and there was gladness rising in his voice that filled us all with the same feeling. “It’s mighty late for it, but it’s spring” … We were all sniffing at the air, too, trying to smell it the way that T.J. did, and I can still remember the sweet odor of the earth under our feet. It was the first time in my life that spring and spring earth had meant anything to me. “Antaeus” by Borden Deal

Setting Can be used to set the atmosphere for the story: “During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, though a singularly dreary tract of country.” “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe

Characters The people (or animals, things, etc Characters The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as people) appearing in a literary work. Round Characters are convincing, true to life. Have many different and sometimes even contradictory personality traits. Dynamic Characters undergo some type of change or development in story, often because of something that happens to them Flat Characters are stereotyped, shallow, and often symbolic. Have only one or two personality traits Static Characters do not change in the course of the story

Characters Protagonist: The main character in a literary work (for instance, Buck in The Call of the Wild or Cinderella or Snow White in the fairy tales named for their characters) Antagonist: The character who opposes the protagonist (for instance, Spitz in The Call of the Wild or the wicked stepmothers in the fairy tales)

Methods of Characterization Direct Characterization: The author develops the personality of a character by direct statements. “Jack had been in basic training in Florida and Dottie was there on vacation with her parents. They’d met on the beach and struck up a conversation. Dottie was the talker, the outgoing one – the extrovert. Jack was too shy around girls to say much at all.” “Furlough – 1944” by Harry Mazer

Methods of Characterization Indirect Characterization: Revealing a character’s personality through: The character’s thoughts, words, and actions The comments of other characters The character’s physical appearance

Indirect Characterization through Thoughts “Moonbeam closed his eyes and pretended to sleep the rest of the way to Bamfield. He couldn’t believe what he had gotten himself into. How had this happened? He’d never held a gun in his life, much less gone hunting for animals.” “Moonbeam Dawson and the Killer Bear” by Jean Okimoto

Indirect Characterization through Actions “The boy held his breath; he wondered whether his father would hear his heart beating… Through a crack in the counter he could see his father where he stood, one hand held to his high stiff collar…” “I Spy” by Graham Greene

Plot Components Introduction/Exposition: The start of the story, the situation before the action starts Rising Action: The series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax Climax / Turning Point: The most intense moment – either mentally or in action – the reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not? Falling Action: The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. (The events between the climax and the resolution) Resolution: The conclusion, the untangling of events in the story

Plot Plot is how the author arranges events to develop his/her basic idea. It is the sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle and end.

Plot: Conflict Conflict is the dramatic struggle between two forces in a story. Without conflict there is no plot.

Plot: Types of Conflict Interpersonal Conflict Human vs. Human Human vs. Nature Human vs. Society Human vs. Tech. Internal Conflict Human vs. Self

The angle or perspective from which the story is told Point of View The angle or perspective from which the story is told Who is telling the story? For instance, is it a player on the home team or someone watching the game? How do we know what is happening? For instance, does a character tell us?

First Person Point of View Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters, using the first person pronoun “I”. “The thousands of injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I give utterance to a threat.” “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe

Second Person Point of View The main character in the story is referred to using the second person pronoun “you”. “Rubbing your aching head, you take in the scene around you. Nearby you see a narrow dirt road, and beyond it a fast-running brook. The road disappears into dense woods on either side of the field. You hear the sound of hooves, and a strange clanking noise. Someone is coming! You duck behind a tree as two men on horseback ride toward you. They are wearing shining metal armor. One of them carries a white banner with a golden lion on it. They must be knights! You watch as they rein in their horses and dismount just a few yards away.” Choose Your Own Adventure : The Forbidden Castle by Edward Packard

Third Person Point of View The story is told using a narrator who is located outside of the action of the story and uses third person pronouns such as “he”, “she”, “his”, “her”, “they” etc. The narrator is on the outside looking in, telling what is happening with a number of characters.

Theme Theme is the central idea or central message of the story. It usually contains some insight into the human condition – telling something about humans and life. The theme can be stated directly or implied by the events and actions in the story.

Types of Irony Verbal Irony:  This is the contrast between what is said and what is meant. In other words: sarcasm. Dramatic Irony:  This is the contrast between what the character thinks to be true and what we (the reader) know to be true.  Sometimes as we read we are placed in the position of knowing more than what one character knows.  Because we know something the character does not, we read to discover how the character will react when he or she learns the truth of the situation.  Situational Irony:  This is the most common in literature.  It is the contrast between what happens and what was expected (or what would seem appropriate).  Because it emerges from the events and circumstances of a story it is often more subtle and effective than verbal or dramatic irony.

Symbolism A symbol represents an idea, quality, or concept larger than itself. A journey can symbolize life Water may represent cleanliness and renewal A lion can be a symbol of courage. A red rose can represent love.

Flashback This is a writers’ technique in which the author interrupts the plot of the story to recreate an incident of an earlier time (goes back in time; like giving the reader a memory).  This device is often used to provide additional information to the reader.

Foreshadowing This is a writers’ technique in which the author provides clues or hints as to what is going to happen later in the story.  It’s like the music in a scary movie when we know that something bad is about to happen.

Plot Twist A plot twist is a radical change in the expected direction or outcome of the plot of a novel or another work of narrative. It is a surprising twist in the story.