The Short Story

What is a Short Story? A short fictional narrative; the plots are generally brief and uncomplicated.

What is the Plot? Plot: Series of related events that make up a story (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)

Characterization The creation and development of a character(s); often the reader learns about the character through description, dialogue, actions, or reactions

Characterization Direct Characterization Indirect Characterization The author directly tells/states what the character’s personality is like or what the character looks like. Example: cruel, kind Indirect Characterization The author shows a character’s personality through his/her actions, thoughts, feelings, words, appearance or other character’s observations or reactions

Character Character – a person in a story, poem, or play Main Character- the most important character in a story, often called the protagonist Minor Character- the other characters in a story who interact with the main character and help move the story along

Character Types of Characters: Round- a character who is fully developed, has many different character traits (dynamic) Flat- a character who is often stereotyped, one-dimensional, few traits (static) Static – a character who does not change (flat) Dynamic – a character who changes as a result of the story's events (round)

Character Types of Characters (continued): Stock- a type of flat character who falls into an immediate recognizable category or type (absent-minded professor, dumb blonde) Secondary- a supporting character; while not prominent the character is important to the events in the story Tragic- a character who posses a flaw or commits an error in judgment which leads to his or her downfall or reversal of fortune

Protagonist The hero or main character of the story; he or she will often go through a change- death is not a change the most important character changes and grows because of experiences in the story

Antagonist A major character who opposes the protagonist the antagonist does not change Types of antagonists: people nature society

Exposition Section of a story which introduces the characters, the setting, and the conflict(s)

Conflict A struggle between two opposing forces. It produces tension and drives the action of the plot Types Internal – takes place within a character Man vs. Him(Her)self External – a character struggles against an outside force Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature Man vs. technology, progress Man vs. Society Man vs. Supernatural

Setting When and where a story takes place

Rising Action A series of complications which reveals the problem or conflict in a story These occur when the main characters take action to resolve their problems and are met with further problems: Fear Hostility Threatening situation

Climax The turning point in the story: the high point of interest and/or suspense Climax Rising Action or Complications Falling Action

Falling Action All events following the climax or turning point in the story. These events are a result of the action taken at the climax.

Resolution The end of the central conflict: it shows how the situation turns out and ties up loose ends Also called the Denoument

Point of View Vantage point from which a story is told First person- Told by a narrator who is a character in the story and uses the pronoun “I” First person unreliable- a narrator who is biased and doesn’t give an accurate picture of the events due to youth, madness, or inexperience Second person- Rarely used, the story is told using the pronoun “you,” which casts the reader as a character in the story

Point of View Third person limited- Told by the narrator who uses third person pronouns (he, she, it). This narrator usually is privy to the thoughts and actions of one character Third person omniscient- told by the narrator using third person pronouns. This narrator is privy to the thoughts and actions of all the characters Objective narrator- a narrator/character who recounts only what characters say and do offering no insight to their thinking or analysis of events

Theme The central idea or lesson about life that an author conveys in a piece of literature; sometimes the them is obvious, in most stories the them is not directly stated. It is conveyed through the character’s thoughts, actions, or sequence of events.

Flashback A scene in a narrative that is set in the present but is interrupted to a previous time. Allows the reader to see actions that occurred in the past that may or may not have effected a character’s behavior.

Foreshadowing A plot device in which future events are hinted at The writer puts clues in the story to give the reader a hint of what is to come

Symbol An object, person, or event that functions as itself, but also stands for something more than itself Example: A scales function is to weigh things, but they are also a symbol of our justice system

Figurative Language Involves some imaginative comparison between two unlike things: Simile – comparing two unlike things using like or as “I wandered lonely as a cloud” Metaphor – comparing two unlike things (not using like or as) Life is a roller coaster, it has lots of ups and downs

Figurative Language Personification – Giving human qualities to non-human things “The wind howled”

Irony A contrast between appearances and reality- usually one in which reality is the opposite of what is expected; to say one thing but mean another

Irony Verbal Irony – occurs when a speaker says one thing but means something else; sarcasm Situational Irony – A contradiction between what we expect to happen and what really does happen in a story Dramatic Irony – occurs when the reader knows something important that the characters in the story do not know

Allusion A reference in a story or poem to another work of literature, art, history, current event, famous person, or place.

Suspense A literary device that uses tension to make the plot more exciting; uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about what is going to happen next in a story

Imagery Language that appeals to the senses, a mental picture Touch Taste Sight Sound Smell