Elements of Short stories

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Introduction Rap Elements of Short Stories Rap

Why do people write? To try and explain why people act the way that they do

Setting The time and location in which a story takes place Place: geographical location Time: When is the story taking place? Historical Period Time of Day Time of Year

Plot How the author arranges events to develop the basic idea The sequence of events in a story or play Introduction/Exposition Rising Action Climax Falling Action Conclusion/Denouement

Five Essential elements of Plot Introduction (Exposition): the beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed Rising Action: the events of the story become complicated and the conflict of the story is revealed Events between introduction and climax

Five Essential Elements of Plot Climax: the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. What will happen next? Will the conflict be resolved or not? Falling Action: the events and issues in the story begin to resolve themselves Was the conflict resolved? Events between climax and denouement

Five Essential Elements of Plot Resolution (Denouement): Final outcome or untangling of events in the story French word for “untying”

Conflict A situation or problem that a character has to try and resolve A constant, ongoing struggle that the main character is trying to find a solution to Two Types: Internal External

Conflict Two Types of Conflict: External: a struggle with a force outside the character Internal: a struggle within a character; a character has to make a decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.

Types of Conflict: External Man vs. Man: the main character struggles with another character Good guy vs. bad guy Man vs. Circumstances: the main character struggles against fate or the circumstances of life facing him/her Hamlet

Types of conflict: External Man vs. Society: the main character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs in their society Man vs. Nature: the main character struggles against nature, a natural disaster, or animals A struggle to survive

Internal Conflict Man vs. Himself: the main character’s struggle takes place in his/her own mind. Usually has something to do with a choice (choosing between right and wrong), or it may have to do with overcoming emotions or mixed feelings

Character Character: the people in a work of fiction Character Development: the change in the person from the beginning to the end of the story Characterization: the way a person looks, talks, acts, or thinks

Character Protagonist: main character of the story who is faced with a conflict Usually the “hero” or good guy Antagonist: person who goes against the main character who may contribute to the conflict Usually the “villain” or bad guy

Point of view First Person Point of View One of the characters in the story is telling the story through their perspective, or through their own eyes When reading stories written in first person, we need to realize that what the narrator is saying is based on their own personal feelings

Point of view Third Person Omniscient Point of View The narrator is not a character in the story The narrator is an outside voice that lets us know exactly how the characters feel. We learn about the characters through this outside voice.

Point of View Objective Point of View The writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue. The narrator never tells anything about what the characters think or feel, remaining a detached observer.

Theme Controlling idea in a piece of fiction or its central insight The author’s underlying meaning Main idea the author is trying to explain The theme may be an author’s thoughts about a topic or view of human nature Examples of Common Themes from Literature, TV, and Film: Things are not always what they appear to be Love is blind Believe in yourself Evil exists in the world

Irony When the opposite of what you expect to happen takes place Verbal Irony: when someone says one thing, but really means another Kind of like sarcasm

Symbol Person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself Example: heart stands for the actual organ and for love

Flashback A scene in a story that interrupts the present action of the plot to flash backwards and tell what happened at an earlier time

Flash-Forward A scene in a story that interrupts the present action of the plot and goes into the future