MS. T. WILLIAMSMORGAN PARK HIGH SCHOOL

Anatomy of a story: Story elements

A SHORT STORY IS A WORK OF FICTION THAT CAN BE READ IN ONE SITTING.

Elements of a Short Story

Plot

The chain of related events that take place in a story.

Built around conflict, which is a struggle between opposing forces.

Plot at a Glance

climax

falling action

rising action

resolution

exposition

Exposition-

gives the background of the story

Rising Action-

introduces complications; builds suspense

Climax-

the turning point of the story

suspense reaches its peak

Falling Action and Resolution

resolves the conflict

usually ties up loose ends

The plot of a short story centers around conflict. Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces.

Complications build the reader’s excitement.

Types of Conflict• External

-Man v Man

-Man v Nature

-Man v Obstacle or Society

• Internal

-Man v Himself

Methods of CharacterizationCreating Believable Characters

Indirect physical appearance

speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of the character

speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of other characters

Direct

the narrator’s direct comments about a character

Types of Characters•Main or Minor•Protagonist or Antagonist•Round or Flat•Dynamic or Static•*Stereotypes=Stock Characters*

Setting= time and place

-puts the reader in the story by giving the reader the feeling of

being in the situation.

-creates atmosphere by the positive or negative feelings associated with the

place.

Point of View or . . .

(Who’s telling this story anyway?)-the vantage point from which the story is told.

-determines how much we, the readers, know about the characters.

1st Person• Narrator is a character in the story.• Narrator uses first-person pronouns, I,

me, my, we, us, our to refer to himself or herself.

• Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of one character and speaks directly to reader.

3rd Person Limited• Narrator does not participate in action of

story.• Narrator does not refer to himself or

herself.• Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings

of one character, but readers are able to maintain some emotional distance from the character.

3rd Person Omniscient• Narrator does not participate in action of

story.• Narrator does not refer to himself or

herself.• Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings

of all characters; readers get insight into several characters.

What is a symbol?

A symbol is a person, a place, an activity, or an object that stands for something beyond itself.

ThemeIn literature, theme is a perception about life or human nature that the writer wants to share with the reader.

In most cases, the theme is not stated directly but must be inferred.Themes can be revealed by

- a story’s title

- key phrases and statements about big ideas

- the ways the characters change and the lessons they learn about life.

The End