9 th Literature and Composition Mrs. Hobbs

 What is a short story?  Brief (short) work of fiction  Has plot, setting, characters and dialogue (like novel) How is a short story different than a novel?  Shorter, can be read in one sitting  Contains less characters and other details  Concise: author begins story close to climax (main event)  Edgar Allan Poe, father of short story, believed a short story leaves a single dominant impression on the reader— story is usually built around one character, place, idea or act Characteristics of a Short Story

Elements of Short Story: Setting  Setting: time and place of a story’s action -background against which incidents of story take place -helps to create tone or feeling in story Example: “The story takes place in the woods a long time ago…”

Elements of a Short Story: Characters  Characters: actors in the story’s plot.  Protagonist: main character  Antagonist: in conflict with main character Example: Protagonist: Little Red Riding Hood Antagonist: Big Bad Wolf

 Types of Characters:  Flat character: reveals only one personality trait  Round character: many personality traits (multidimensional much like an actual human)  Dynamic character: changes throughout the course of the story (Ex. a boy who once teased his brother starts to treat his brother kindly)  Static character: one who does not change in the story Elements of a Short Story: Characters

  Characterization: methods a writer uses to tell us about the characters -through character’s actions -what others say about character -author’s word choice in descriptive passage  Direct characterization: author states directly what character’s personality is like (Ex. “the old man was very mean”)  Indirect characterization: authors show character in action, lets reader find out character’s personality through character’s actions, words, or other character’s observations or reactions (Ex. “the old man smiled a wicked smile”) Elements of a Short Story: Characterization

Elements of Short Story: Point-of-View  Point of view: perspective from which the story is told  Narrator: speaker who tells the story  First-person: narrator is character in story—uses “I”  Third-person limited: narrator reveals thoughts of only one character, refers to character as “he”, “she”  Third-person omniscient: narrator knows everything about the story’s events, reveals thoughts of all characters Example: “Little Red Riding Hood” is told from third-person omniscient point of view: narrator explains what Little Red Riding Hood is doing as well as what is happening to her grandmother

Elements of Short Story: Theme  Theme: Central message of the story  Stated theme: directly stated in the story  Implied theme : must be inferred by considering all the elements of the story Example: The theme in “Little Red Riding Hood” is implied: be suspicious of things or people that do not appear the way they should.

Elements of a Short Story: Plot  Plot: Sequence of events in a story (what happens)  Plot is often created through conflict, a struggle between opposing forces

Elements of Short Story: Types of Conflict  External Conflict: struggle between character and outside forces (another character, nature, society or fate)  Person vs. Person  Person vs. Nature  Person vs. Society  Internal Conflict: struggle takes place in the mind of the character  Person vs. Self Example: In “Little Red Riding Hood,” the conflict is external person to person conflict: Little Red Riding Hood vs. the wolf.

  Most short stories have a specific formula and develop in 5 stages:  Exposition: introduces the story’s characters, setting and conflict  Rising Action: occurs as complications, twists, and conflict happen in the plot  Climax: action reaches its highest point  Falling action: decline in action that comes after climax  Resolution: the conclusion of the story—central conflict is ended or resolved Short Story Structure: Plot Stages

 Short Story Diagram 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: the turning point, the most intense moment—either mentally or in action Falling Action: all of the action which follows the climax Resolution: the conclusion, the tying together of all of the threads

 1.Little Red Riding Hood begins walking through the forest with a basket for her grandmother. 2.Little Red Riding Hood comments on grandmother’s teeth— he responds by eating her. 3.The woodsman arrives to the scene to discover the wolf dressed in the bonnet of the grandmother. 4.The woodsman kills the wolf and out steps the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood, happy and safe. 5.The big bad wolf spots Little Red Riding Hood walking and asks her where she is going. 6.Wolf eats grandmother; disguises himself as grandmother Little Red Riding Hood arrives at her grandmother’s house and sits at her bedside. Mapping Activity

 Group Activity: Diagram “Little Red Riding Hood” Exposition: Little Red Riding Hood begins walking through the forest with a basket for her grandmother. Rising Action: The big bad wolf spots Little Red Riding Hood walking and asks her where she is going. Climax: Little Red Riding Hood comments on grandmother’s teeth—he responds by eating her. Falling Action: The woodsman arrives to the scene to discover the wolf dressed in the bonnet of the grandmother. Resolution: The woodsman kills the wolf and out steps the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood, happy and safe. -- Wolf eats grandmother; disguises himself as grandmother. --Little Red Riding Hood arrives at her grandmother’s house and sits at her bedside.

Short Story Elements: Mood, Tone, Style and Imagery  Mood: overall feeling in a story (dark, happy or gloomy)  Tone: clues that tell writer’s attitude about the subject of the story  Style: unique way the author tells the story  Imagery: words or “word pictures” writers use that help reader imagine smells, sights, tastes and sounds in story (Ex. The smell of the crisp bacon sizzling on the stove wafted through the house).

Short Story Elements: Foreshadowing, Flashback & Suspense  Foreshadowing: gives reader clues about events that will happen later in the story  Suspense: technique author uses to keep reader interested in the story  Flashback: earlier episode, conversation, or event is inserted into the story (the story “flashes” back to the past)

  Irony: A contrast between appearance and reality  Verbal Irony – saying one thing but meaning something completely different  Calling a clumsy basketball player “Michael Jordan”  Situational Irony – A contradiction between what we expect to happen and what really does happen  Dramatic Irony – occurs when the reader knows something important that the characters in the story do not know Short Story Elements: Irony

Short Story Elements: Dialogue, Diction, and Dialect  Dialogue: conversation between characters in a story  Diction: an author’s choice of words  Denotation: literal meanings of words (Ex: Abercrombie & Fitch denotes a clothing store)  Connotation: images or associations that word might suggest (Ex: Abercrombie & Fitch brings up connotations (associations) of teenage popularity, wealth, etc.  Dialect: language spoken by people of a certain region (Ex. Southern dialect)