Short Story Notes

A short story is a short work of fiction.

5 Elements of a Short Story 1. Plot- 2. Character- 3. Setting- 4. Point of view- 5. Theme-

Plot Pattern of events that take place in a story. A plot has a conflict. A conflict is a struggle. This conflict can be internal (occurring within a character’s mind), or external (takes place between 2 or more characters).

A story will have a protagonist ( the main character), and an antagonist (the person who has a conflict with the protagonist).

4 Parts of the Plot 1. Exposition- the author sets up the story. Characters and main conflicts are introduced. 2. Rising action- the story progresses as conflicts began to build. 3. Climax- key scene, the exciting moment where the outcome of the conflict is. 4. Resolution (denoument)- story comes to a close and the conflict is resolved.

The perspective from which a story is told. Point of View The perspective from which a story is told.

1st person- uses I or we to refer to the narrator. 3rd person limited- uses he or she. What is known about the characters is limited. 3rd person omniscient- “ all knowing”. The narrator knows everything about all of the characters.

A central or main idea derived from the text. Theme A central or main idea derived from the text.

Where and when a story takes place Setting Where and when a story takes place

The people involved in a story Character The people involved in a story

4 Kinds of Character 1. flat- character has 1 or 2 personality traits 2. round- character has a complex personality. 3. dynamic- character changes in an important way in the story 4. static- someone who is the same at the beginning of the story as at the end

5 Ways to Create a Character 1. Speech/dialogue 2. Thoughts 3.How other characters feel about them 4. Actions 5. Appearance

Characterization 1. Direct characterization- the author tells directly what a character is like or what his or her motives are. 2. Indirect characterization- the writer introduces a character but the reader must interpret what kind of person the character is

1. Hint or clues that suggest what is to come in a story

2. Order in which events unfold in real time

3. Writer jumps ahead days or years into the future

4. An episode presented from the past

5. Attitude a speaker or writer takes toward a subject

6. Writers use of language and overall style

7. Can be trusted

8. Biased, doesn’t tell the truth

9. Topic

10. Offers several conflicting sequences and leaves us to figure them out

11. Difference between what we expect and what actually happens.

12. A person says 1 thing but means another

13. Describes an event contrary to what we expected

14. Usually occurs in a play 14. Usually occurs in a play. The audience knows what is going to happen but the characters on stage do not.