Parts of the Short StoryParts of the Short Story

English 9English 9

Fall 2006Fall 2006

The SettingThe Setting

• The setting is where and when the story takes place– General Setting – Time period, geographic

area, level of realism– Specific Setting – An office, an apartment, a

spaceship

CharactersCharacters

• Characters are the people, animals, or things that the story is about– Main Character – the primary and most

important characters in the movie; these characters are affected by the story

– Supporting characters – characters that have smaller parts; these characters affect the story

Characters, continuedCharacters, continued

– Protagonist – The “good guy,” the hero, the main character

– Antagonist – The “bad guy,” the person who stands in the way of the protagonist

Character TypesCharacter Types

– Round – A character who resembles a real person; a character who changes and acts as a real person would

– Flat – A character who does not change or experience emotional growth

– Stock – A cliched character; a type of character you have seen before

• Example – McDonald’s worker, cab driver, storm trooper

CharacterizationCharacterization

• Direct Characterization – How the author describes the character

• Indirect Characterization – What other characters say about the character, what you learn through action and dialogue

• Dialogue – Two characters speaking to each other

Point of ViewPoint of View• From what perspective is the story told?

– First person – POV of the main character, uses “I”

– Second person – POV of the reader, uses “you”

– Third person – POV of an outside observer, uses “he” & “she”

• Limited – the observer can only “see” what happens

• Omniscient – the observer knows the characters’ thoughts, can “see” inside their heads

PlotPlot

• The plot of the story is what happens in the story

• Almost every plot is based on a conflict– Person vs. Person– Person vs. Self– Person vs. Nature– Person vs. Society

The Plot CurveThe Plot Curve

• Exposition – Beginning of the story; characters are introduced, setting is established, tone and mood are set

• Rising Action – The conflict begins; the protagonist works towards settling the conflict

• Climax – The pinnacle of the story; the protagonist solves the conflict (or doesn’t)

Plot Curve, continuedPlot Curve, continued

• Falling Action – The specifics of the climax play out; what happens as a result of the climax

• Resolution (Denouement) – Loose ends are wrapped up; the reader sees the new and changed protagonist; life goes on

Tone, Mood, ThemeTone, Mood, Theme

• Tone – The attitude of the author toward the story – sarcastic, anger, affection, approval, disapproval

• Mood – The emotion of the story – happy, sad, depressing, tragic

• Theme – The “moral” of the story – what message does the story send?