Short Story Unit

We are going to learn about the elements of short stories, story genres, and techniques for writing short stories. You will use this information to help you develop your own short story.

Watch The Video and Discuss: What genre is the video? What literary elements does the video use? What was the introduction, rising action, climax, and conclusion?

Fill in your worksheets with the notes on the elements of a short story.

Elements of a Short Story The short story is a piece of prose fiction with these 4 characteristics: – It can be read in a single sitting, – develops a single incident, – takes place in one location, – and happens in a short period of time

A short story has these 4 parts: Plot, characters, setting, theme

Plot – Introduction: introduces the main characters and setting. Gets the audience interested. – Rising action: it is a series of events that develop the clues and actions that lead to the most important part. – Climax: the turning point of the action. It is the high point of interest in the story and where the main conflict is resolved. – Conclusion: explains any details which could not be explained before

Types of Conflict Man vs. Man – A thirteen-year-old girl arguing with her ex-best friend – Two men fighting over a woman Ban vs. Nature/Environment – A couple gets lost in a snowstorm and has to survive – A woman goes surfing and gets attacked by a shark

Man vs. Himself (ethical dilemmas) – A guy’s girlfriend leaves a party early and another girl hits on him – A woman conquers her fear of flying Man vs. Society – A member of a gang trying to get out of a gang – A mother trying to keep her handicapped son in a regular school when the school doesn’t want him Man vs. Supernatural – Child is abducted by aliens – A man’s searches for his wife in the Bermuda Triangle

Character Few characters are included in a short story The plot centers around one main character who is in conflict Characters are revealed in 3 ways: – 1. By what the author tells us – 2. By what the character himself says, does, or thinks – 3. By what other characters say about him

Protagonist vs. Antagonist – Protagonist- the main or leading character whose story is being told (not always the “good guy”) – Antagonist- the person or force that opposes the protagonist (not always the “bad guy”) Flat vs. Round – Flat- the character does not have the complexity of a real person. The actions are predictable and not life- like – Round- the character seems complex, independent, unpredictable and life-like

Static vs. Developing – Static- the character stays the same, does not achieve any personal insight or growth or change – Developing- the character undergoes a permanent change as a result of the events in the story Methods of Character Presentation – Direct- the author tells us directly what his character is like – Indirect- the author shows us the character’s actions, thoughts, and words and allows us to decide for ourselves what they are like.

Point of View There are two questions you can ask when determining the point of view of a short story: – Through whose eyes is the story told? – What degree of access do we have to his/her thoughts and feelings? First Person – The person telling the story is standing in the middle of the story as it happens. – Example: I told him to leave me alone.

Third Person – The person telling the story is standing outside of the story watching it happen – Example: She told him to leave her alone. – This has three levels of observation: Omniscient: the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all the characters Limited Omniscient: the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of only one character Objective: the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of none of the characters

Theme Not a summary of the action The main idea behind the story, the “moral” of the story The author told us this story to teach or show us something about life in general

Setting The time and place where the story occurs and has 2 parts: Physical Setting: the time and place where the story takes place Emotional setting: the mood or emotional atmosphere of the story

Literary Techniques Suspense- uncertainty as to outcome Description- helps the imagination to see more clearly the settings, characters, and moods Dialogue- actual conversations between characters. It creates interest, develops the plot, and reveals character. Irony- when something happens which is the complete opposite of what is expected Humor- the use of funny or comical language or events Foreshadowing- a hint of something that actually does happen later