Elements of a Short Story

The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting. There are several aspects of a story's setting to consider when examining how setting contributes to a story.

PLOT

The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea; It is the sequence of events in a story or play. There are five essential parts of plot:

Exposition/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 (events between the introduction and climax).

Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story.

Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. (events between climax and denouement).

Denouement/Conclusion - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.

It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move.

Man vs. Man (physical)

• The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men, forces of nature, or animals.

Man vs. Society (social)

• The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people.

Man vs. Self (psychological)

• The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.

There are two types of conflict:

1) External - A struggle with a force outside one's self.

2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.

CHARACTERS

There are two meanings for the word character:

1) The person in a work of fiction.

2) The characteristics of a person.

PROTAGONIST

• The character who is clearly central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character (Main Character)

ANTAGONIST

• The character who opposes of the main character (Main Character's Rival)

The author can reveal a character in two different ways:

• DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - the writer makes direct statements about a character's personality and tells what the character is like.

• INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him.

Characters are...

1. Individual - round, many sided and complex personalities.

2. Developing - dynamic, many sided personalities that change, for better or worse, by the end of the story.

3. Static - Stereotype, have one or two characteristics that never change and are emphasized e.g. brilliant detective, drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc.

POINT OF VIEW

The angle from which the story is told.

First Person - The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc).

Second Person - The narrator tells the story to another character using "you"; the story is being told through the addressee's point of view.

Third Person - A narrator relates all action in third person, using third person pronouns such as "he" or "she." Third person point of view may be:

Omniscient

The author can narrate the story using the omniscient point of view. Moving from character to character and event to event.

Limited

The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc). We know only what the character knows, and what the author chooses to reveal to us.

THEME

The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight. It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that they are trying to convey. The theme may be the author's thoughts about a topic or view of human nature.

Examples:

- Don't judge a book by its cover

- People are afraid of change

- Believe in yourself

- Love is blind

Weather Conditions

TIME

Social Conditions

SETTING

MOOD

PLACE

CONFLICT

Elements of a Short Story