SHORT STORY ELEMENTS

Group 1

Modern short stories

Modern short stories emerged as their
own genre in the early 19 th century.
sEarly example of a short story include
. 18241826 Fairy Tales Grimm Brothers

MAIN ELEMENTS
Setting the time and location in which a story
takes place
Plot the sequence of events in a story or play
Conflict the opposition of forces which ties one
incident to another and makes the plot move
Character the person and his characteristics in
a work of fiction
Theme the central idea or belief
Turning pointa point at which a decisive change takes place cri
tical point; crisis.

SETTING
The

time and location in which a story

takes place is called the setting. For
some stories the setting is very
important, while for others it is not.

There

are several aspects of a storys

setting to consider when examining how
setting contributes to a story. Some, or
all, may be present.

ASPECTS IN SETTING
Place

Where is the story taking place?

Time When is the story taking place?
Weather conditions Is it rainy,
sunny?
Social conditions What is the daily life
of the characters like?
Mood or atmosphere What feeling is
created at the beginning of the story?

PLOT
The

plot is how the author arranges

events to develop his basic idea; it is the
sequence of events. The plot is a
planned, logical series of events having
a beginning, middle and end. The short
story usually has one plot so it can be
read in one sitting.

Five essential parts of plot

Introduction

the beginning of the story

where the characters and the setting is
revealed
Rising Action This is where the events
in the story become complicated and the
conflict in the story is revealed
Climax This is the highest point of
interest and the turning point of the story.

Plot cont.

Falling Action The events and

complications begin to resolve
themselves. The reader knows what has
happened next and if the conflict was
resolved or not

Denouement

This is the final outcome

or untangling of events in the story

Plot

Plot is how the author arranges events to develop

his/her basic idea. It is the sequence of events in a
story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of
events having a beginning, middle and end.

CONFLICT
It

is the opposition of forces which ties

one incident to another and makes the
plot move. It is any form of opposition
that faces the main character.

Within

a short story there may be only

one central struggle, or one dominant
struggle with many minor ones.

There are two types of conflict:

1.

External a struggle with a force

outside ones self

2.

Internal a struggle within ones self;

a person must make some decision,
overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist
un urge, etc.

There are four kinds of conflict:

1.

man vs man (physical)

2.

man vs circumstances (classical)

3.

man vs society (social)

4.

man vs him/herself (psychological)

Types Of Conflicta

deeper look

1.Character

vs. Character
(problem with another character)
2. Character vs. Nature
(problem with force of nature)
3. Character vs. Society
(problem with the laws or beliefs of a group)
(character vs. community, society or culture)
4. Character vs. Self
(problem with deciding what to
do or think; inner conflict)

CHARACTER
This includes the person in a work of fiction
and the characteristics of a person.
In a work of fiction, one finds the protagonist
and the antagonist. The protagonist is the
central character with all major events having
some importance to him/her. The opposer of
the main character is the antagonist.

The protagonist is the

good guy

The antagonist is the

bad guy or force

The Characteristics of a Person

a.
b.
c.
d.

Characterization is the information the

author gives the reader about the characters
themselves. These include:
His/her physical appearance
What he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams
What he/she does or does not do
What others say about him/her and how
others react to him/her

Character cont.
Characters are:
1. Individual (round, many sided and complex)
2. Developing (dynamic, changing)
3. Static (stereotype, characteristics that never
change and are emphasized)

THEME
The theme is the controlling idea
or its central insight. It is the
authors underlying meaning or
main idea that he is trying to
convey. It may be the authors
thoughts about a topic or view of
human nature

Theme cont.
The

title of the short story usually points to

what the writer is saying and he may use
various figures of speech to emphasize
his theme, such as:
symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor,
hyperbole or irony

Theme cont.
Some

simple examples of common

themes from literature, TV, and film are:
- Love is blind
- Believe in yourself
- Don't judge a book by its cover

Ambition

Jealousy

Beauty

Loneliness

Betrayal

Love

Courage

Loyalty

Duty/honor (filial
piety)

Perseverance

Fear

Prejudice

Freedom

Suffering

Happiness

Truth

Key terms in
some common
Literary
Themes