1. Short Story Elements

2. What is a short story?
A brief, imaginative narrative containing few characters, simple plot, conflict, and suspense which leads to a climax and a swift conclusion.

3. THE 4 ELEMENTS OF THE SHORT STORY
PLOT
SETTING
CHARACTER
THEME

4. #1. PLOT The chain of events in a story.
Consists of 6 main ingredients:
Exposition (story’s introduction)
Inciting incident
Rising action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution

5. Plot taught different ways… plot triangle

6. PLOT GRAPH
An excellent way to map out a story’s plot

7. Plot Slope format

8. Short Story Elements

9. Points of View- 3 types
1)First person 2)Third person limited 3)Third person omniscient

10. 1st person POV
One of the characters in a story talks to us, using “I”. We can know only what this person sees and hears about events and about other characters.

11. 3rd person limited
The storyteller zooms in on just one character. We witness the events of a story just as this one character witnesses them.
What we know about other characters is limited.

12. 3rd person omniscient
Omniscient means “All Knowing”. This narrator is not a character in the story and never refers to him/herself with the first person pronoun “I”.
This narrator tells us everything about every character.

13. Exposition (story’s introduction)
Introduces the reader to:
Setting
Basic situation
Characters involved
Narrative Hook: question or statement that grabs the reader’s attention

14. Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
On a pod paper, create a slope or triangle. Work as a pod on the exposition.

15. Inciting Incident
The first major action in the story that sets the story in motion (gets the ball rolling).

16. Tell Tale Heart
As a pod, discuss and add the inciting incident

17. Rising Action Incidents which carry the plot along. It often
includes the following:
Foreshadowing
Flashback
Conflict
Suspense

18. Tell Tale Heart
As a pod, add and discuss the rising action

19. FORESHADOWING
A technique for hinting at events that may occur later in the plot.

20. FLASHBACK
The insertion of an earlier event into the time order of a narrative.

21. Conflict
It is what prevents the main character from getting what he or she wants
The plot is driven by climax and it is THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE OF THE STORY
There are two types of conflicts: Internal and External

22. Internal Conflict PERSON VS. SELF

23. External Conflict PERSON VS. PERSON

24. External Conflict PERSON VS. SOCIETY

25. External Conflict PERSON VS.THE ENVIRONMENT

26. External Conflict PERSON VS. FATE

27. External Conflict PERSON VS. TECHNOLOGY

28. External Conflict PERSON VS. THE SUPERNATURAL

29. SUSPENSE
The feeling of excitement and curiosity that keeps the reader turning the pages; created by making the readers wonder how the conflict will be resolved

30. CLIMAX
The highest point of interest in the story when the character(s) solves his/her struggles
Most unexpected moment!!!
Usually the point of highest emotion
The climax can be SUBJECTIVE (there may be different answers, so you must prove your choice)

31. Tell Tale Heart
What is the conflict (s)? Types?
What is the climax?

33. FALLING ACTION
The character completes the action of his/her decision

34. THE RESOLUTION The final workings of a story’s conflict
All of the loose ends are tied up (usually)
Narrative Twist: a surprise ending

35. Tell Tale Heart
Add the falling action and resolution as a pod to your diagram.

36. Final Plot diagram for Tell Tale Heart

37. #2. SETTING
The time (time of day, season, present, past, future) and the location (country, planet, town, buildings, PLUS a description of the surroundings) where the action occurs
Helps to create the mood and atmosphere of the text

38. ATMOSPHERE
The feeling that the setting evokes (i.e. mysterious, happy, eerie)

39. MOOD
The author’s emotional attitude toward the subject matter (i.e. excitement, nostalgia)
NOT the mood of the characters

40. #3. CHARACTERs
Any personalities who are involved in the plot of the story (people, animals, fantasy characters)

41. PROTAGONIST Usually the “good guy” or hero in the story
The main character that we follow
The character that strives to solve the conflict

42. ANTAGONIST The “bad guy” or villain in the story
Usually creates conflict for the main character

43. SECONDARY CHARACTERS
Other characters who are necessary to moving the plot along, but may not be involved with the central conflict

44. CHARACTER TRAITS Physical and personality characteristics that
are revealed through:
What the character does
What the character says
What other characters say or do about the character
What the author states directly
What the author infers

45. #4. THEME The central idea about life that the story
highlights; THE MAIN IDEA (universal truths).
The message the author is conveying.
Determine the specific conflict
Decide what side of the conflict the story represents
How is the conflict resolved? Who wins? Who loses?

46. THEME Theme is NOT the moral of the story Theme is NOT plot
Theme IS the general subject matter of a work of art
Theme may contain a message

47. THEME
Not all short stories have a theme; some are just for entertainment or fun

48. THEME OR NOT A THEME?
1) Red Riding Hood is about how you shouldn’t trust strangers
2) Stars Wars is a movie about Luke Skywalker
3) Apocalypse Now is about the insanity of war.
4) This painting is about loneliness
5) That story is about two guys who steal a car
6) Romeo and Juliet is about love
7) Romeo and Juliet is about two families fighting
8) I saw a movie last night about survival
9) Hansel and Gretel is about two children
10) Cinderella is about poetic justice

49. Symbolism in literature

50. Symbolism
An object, sign, or image tha tis used to stand for something else

51. Irony (3 types) Situational Dramatic Verbal
See lit packet for further definitions clarified.

52. Review terms in YELLOW lit packet:
Personification
Imagery
Tone
Simile
Metaphor
Word choice (significance)