1. Five Elements of the Short Story

2. The Five Elements: An Overview
Plot
Character
Setting
Atmosphere
Style
The Five Elements: An Overview

3. Plot Plot is the arrangement of incidents or events in a story:
Exposition
Initial (or inciting) incident
Climax
Falling action
Final outcome (denouement)
Plot

4. Exposition Gives the background to the story
Introduction of characters
Setting
Antecedent action: describes important events that have taken place before the story starts.
Exposition

5. Initial Incident An event that “gets the ball rolling”
Incites or begins a conflict
Initial Incident

6. Rising Action Events complicate the conflict
Conflict becomes more pronounced
But not yet the peak of the story
Rising Action

7. Climax The peak of tension in the story The “point of no return”
The moment of greatest suspense (if applicable)
Climax

8. Falling Action Actions that lead to the resolution or final outcome
May be quite rapid in a short story
Falling Action

9. Final Outcome (Denouement)
Denouement comes from the French words for “untying the knot”
Any loose ends are rapped up
A feeling of satisfaction or accomplishment should be created for readers
Final Outcome (Denouement)

10. Character There’s no story without characters
Protagonist: the main character of the story (not necessarily the “good guy”
E.g., Harry Potter
Antagonist: the person opposing the protagonist
E.g., Malfoy
Character

11. Flat character: doesn’t change during the course of the story; one-dimensional
E.g. Nigel
Round character: a character with many traits who changes through the story
E.g. Ron
Stock characters: a stereotyped character whom readers immediately recognize
The absent-minded professor, Sybill Trelawney
Types of characters

12. There are two main types of conflict a character may experience:
Internal: man vs. himself (an inner, moral struggle)
External:
Man vs. man
Man vs. society
Man vs. unknown
Man vs. the supernatural
Man vs. nature
Character in Conflict

13. Learning about Characters
There are two main ways readers learn about a character:
Direct Characterization: the author TELLS readers directly about the character
E.g., “Harry didn’t care for bananas. They gave him indigestion.”
Indirect characterization: the author SHOWS readers how a character may be
Learning about Characters

14. More on Indirect Characterization
There are four key ways that an author SHOWS us what a character is like:
What the character says: “Ugh, I hate bananas. They give me gas.”
What the character thinks: Harry decided not to have a banana, remembering the unfortunate effects on his digestion.
What the character does: Harry passed over the bananas and reached for a peach.
What others say about the character: “Don’t let Harry have a banana. He’ll stink up the whole common room!”
More on Indirect Characterization

15. Things to look at when examining a character closely:
The character’s dialogue
What she says
What she thinks
What she does
What motivates her
Does her motivation change?
Character Analysis

16. Setting The setting is WHERE and WHEN the story takes place.
The setting will have an important influence on the atmosphere.
Setting

17. Atmosphere Atmosphere is often considered part of the setting.
Setting often helps determine atmosphere.
A synonym for atmosphere is mood.
Usually established at the beginning of the story
Physical surroundings and even time can affect a character and the story’s mood.
Atmosphere

18. Atmosphere Factors that can help create atmosphere in a story: Weather
Light or dark
Shadows or natural lighting
Colours
Furniture
Natural surroundings
Atmosphere

19. Style Style is the author’s way of expressing him/herself
It encompasses a number of elements:
Diction
Sentence structure
Point of view
Irony
Symbolism
Imagery
Figurative language
Style

20. Style Think of it as a person’s style.
Many elements make up personal style:
Clothing
Hair colour, length
Make up
Shoes
Way of speaking
Style

21. More on style later.
It’s a huge area to cover!
Style