1. Elements of a Short Story

2. OBJECTIVES Identify elements of a short story
Define elements of a short story
Demonstrate mastery of short story elements

3. OVERVIEW
Short stories often contain structural and character elements that should be familiar to you.
These elements can be used as guides to help you think about the actions, themes, and contexts of the story.

4. Elements of a Short Story
Plot
- exposition statement
- rising action
- conflict
- climax
- falling action
- resolution
Theme
Setting
Characters
Point of view
Characterization

5. THEME
The main idea of a literary work, usually expressed as a generalization.
SETTING
The time and place in which a work of literature happens.

6. CHARACTERS POINT OF VIEW The people (or actors) in the story.
The story teller from whose point of view the story is being told, the narrator.

7. CHARACTERIZATION
The description of the personalities of the characters in the story and the way in which an author reveals their personalities.

8. PLOT The sequence or order of events in a story. The plot includes:
Exposition Statement - The part of the plot that tells how the story begins.
Rising Action - The action in the story leading up to the climax.
Conflict - Struggles or problems between opposing forces.

9. More PLOT
Climax - The point of crisis in the plot. It may be the reader’s point of highest interest.
Falling action - The action in the story after the climax is revealed.
Resolution - The part of the plot that reveals the final outcome.

10. PLOT DIAGRAM Climax Rising Action Conflict Exposition Resolution
Falling Action
Exposition
Resolution

11. CONCLUSION
Now that we have identified and defined the elements of a short story, let us use the elements to analyze a familiar fairytale. You may use your notes from the PowerPoint presentation or consult the newsletter handout, “Analyzing a Short Story.”

12. Bibliography
Dinneen, K. Elements of the Short Story. Retrieved Jun , 2003, from Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute:
Five Elements of a Story. Retrieved Jun. 19, 2003,
Guevin, D. Short Story Elements. Retrieved Jun. 19, 2003,