Parts of a Short Story

The Setting The setting is where and when the story takes place General Setting – Time period, geographic area Specific Setting – An office, an apartment, a spaceship; July 4, 1776

Characters Characters are the people, animals, or things that the story is about Main Character – the primary and most important characters in the story; these characters are affected by the story (they change) Supporting characters – characters that have smaller parts; these characters affect the story

Characters, continued Protagonist – The “good guy,” the hero, the main character Antagonist – The “bad guy,” the person who stands in the way of the protagonist

Characterization Direct Characterization – How the author describes the character (The author comes out and tells you he is lazy or generous, etc) Indirect Characterization – What other characters say about the character, what you learn through action and dialogue

Point of View From what perspective is the story told? First person – POV of the main character, uses “I” Third person – POV of an outside observer, uses “he” & “she” Limited – the observer can only “see” what happens or has limited thoughts from one character Omniscient – the observer knows many characters’ thoughts, can “see” inside their heads

Plot The plot of the story is what happens in the story Almost every plot is based on a conflict: Person vs. Person Person vs. Self Person vs. Nature Person vs. Society

The Plot Curve Exposition – Beginning of the story; characters are introduced, setting is established, tone and mood are set Rising Action – The conflict begins; the protagonist works towards settling the conflict Climax – The turning point of the story; the protagonist solves the conflict (or doesn’t)

Plot Curve, continued Falling Action – The specifics of the climax play out; what happens as a result of the climax Resolution – Loose ends are wrapped up; the reader sees the new and changed protagonist; life goes on

example: sarcastic, angry, affectionate, approving, disapproving Tone The attitude of the author toward the story/subject matter example: sarcastic, angry, affectionate, approving, disapproving Tone = Author

– happy, sad, depressing, tragic Mood Mood – The way a story or selection makes the reader feel – happy, sad, depressing, tragic Mood = Me (the reader)

Theme Theme – The message about life the author is trying to send; the “moral” of the story