setting the time and place of the action of a story setting includes the following: the...
TRANSCRIPT
Elements of the Short Story
Setting
The time and place of the action of a story
Setting includes the following:
The geographical location
The time period
The specific building, room and so on . . .
The feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader.
A cold wind sliced across the silent and empty graveyard. Stanton shivered and glanced up at the moon, a pale silver behind dark clouds. He heard footsteps, then more footsteps, and his stomach knotted. Shouldn’t have come, he thought.
What mood does this paragraph convey to the reader?
Mood
Characters
Protagonist – The main character in a story; the character who is involved in the central conflict of the story
Antagonist – principal character or force in opposition of the protagonist
Characters
Static – one who remains the same throughout the story
Dynamic – one who undergoes important changes as the plot unfolds
Plot
The series of events in a story
Elements of Plot Exposition – introduces setting and
characters; introduces the conflict
Rising Action – presents complications that intensify the conflict and builds suspense
Climax – the turning point and the moment of greatest suspense; makes the outcome of the conflict clear
Falling Action – eases the suspense; reveals the outcome of the story’s climax; shows how the main character resolves the conflict
Resolution – reveals the final outcome and ties up loose ends
FlashbackAn account of a conversation, an
episode, or an event that happened before the beginning of the story
ConflictStruggle between opposing forces
Internal conflict – a struggle within a character’s mind. The struggle usually centers on a choice or decision the character must make
External conflict – a clash between a character and an outside force, such as another character, society, or a force of nature
Point of View
First person – narrator is character in the story
Third person – narrative voice is outside the story
Third person omniscient – all-knowing point of view
Third person limited – narrator tells what only one character thinks
ForeshadowingWriter’s use of hints or clues to suggest
events that will occur later in a story
Simile
A comparison between two unlike things using “like” or “as.”
Example: The river winds down the valley like a long, skinny snake.
Metaphor
A comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”
Ex: Time is money.
Personification
Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects or abstract ideas.
Ex: The wind cried in the dark.
SymbolismAn object, character, figure, or color that
is used to represent something other than itself.
What does the feather symbolize for Dumbo?
AllusionA reference to the Bible, history, or another famous piece of literature.
In The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the gargoyle Laverne tells a flock of pigeons to “Fly my pretties! Fly, Fly!” alluding to the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.
Tone
The writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward a subject, character, or audience; conveyed through the author’s choice of words and detail.
Tone can be:
Serious
Humorous
Sarcastic
Indifferent
Etc.
Theme
An underlying message about life or human nature that a writer
wants the reader to understand; the main idea of the story