What is a short story?

• A fictional, narrative piece of writing that has many of the same characteristics of a novel, just a much shorter version.

• Due to length limitations, most short stories are cleverly crafted, promising a reading experience that is equally as satisfying as a novel, but in a fraction of the time!

Characteristics of the short story

• Genre

• Plot

• Conflict

• Setting

• Characters

• Point of view

• Theme

Short story – Genre Genre – a particular type of short story writing –

dividing it into categories:

Based on true/real

events

Based on mythical stories or legends

Stories like Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella

, etc.

Like detective or crime stories

About planets, aliens, unknown worlds, etc.

Stories like: Huckleberry

Finn

Short story -- plot A typical plot or story line follows a beginning, middle and

end structure with a sequence of events similar to this:

Plot Structure • Exposition/Inciting Moment/Lead

An initial incident gets the action rolling

• Rising Action

The rising action introduces complications or obstacles to the protagonist (main character) creating conflict and suspense

• Climax

The rising action builds up to a climax which is the most suspenseful moment or the height of action

• Falling Action

The falling action follows the climax when the author tries to tie up loose ends

• Resolution

The resolution is the ending where the conflict is resolved or there is closure to the story

Not all stories have a resolution – some end at the climactic point – we call these cliffhangers!

Short story – plot – terms & techniques

Foreshadowing – a technique

for providing clues about

events that may happen later

in a story.

Flashback – A technique for

presenting something that

happened earlier (often prior

to when the reader begins

the story) that helps explain

something about the current

situation.

Suspense – the feeling of excitement and curiousity the keeps the reader turning pages. What is going to happen next? What choice is the main character going to make? How will the conflict be resolved? How will the story end?

Symbolism – using a person, place or thing to represent an abstract idea or concept – anything that stands for something beyond itself

(ex. Deep water representing mystery, A tree symbolizing sturdiness or loneliness)

Short story - conflict 2 types of conflict:

External – a struggle with a force outside one’s self

Internal – a struggle within one’ self – a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.

Short story -- conflict There are 4 kinds of conflict:

1. Man vs. Man (physical) – the leading character struggles with his/her physical strength against other men/women, forces of nature, or animals

2. Man vs. Circumstance (classical) – the leading character struggles against fate or the circumstance of life facing him/her

3. Man vs. Society (social) – the leading character struggles against ideas, practices or customs of others

4. Man vs. Himself/herself (psychological) – the leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.

What type

of conflict

would

this story

have?

Short story -- setting

• The time and location in which a story takes place.

• Several aspects of setting can contribute to the story:

• Place (geographical location)

• Time (historical period, time of day)

• Weather conditions

• Social conditions

• Mood or atmosphere

• Setting can also be used to create conflict, reveal character, develop atmosphere or mood, or as a symbol to develop the story’s theme.

Setting – Terms

Atmosphere – the overall mood

of the story; for example,

comic, mocking, serious,

mysterious.

Every aspect of the story

(setting, description,

dialogue, word choice, and

so on) should contribute to

the atmosphere.

It’s the sense you get of the

tone the writer was trying to

create.

Short story - characters

• The author reveals what story characters are like

through their reactions to the incidents and

events of the story.

• Characters can be static and remain the same

throughout the course of the story, or be dynamic

and change as a result of the events of the story.

Characters – Terms

Protagonist – the main

character in a story,

novel or play.

Antagonist – the

character who

struggles for fights

against the

protagonist.

Characterization (Character traits) • In order for a story to seem believable to the

reader, its characters must seem real.

• Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves.

• Authors reveal a character’s traits in many ways, but they rarely come out and tell us what a character is like; they instead reveal a character through their descriptions, in dialogue, or in how the plot develops.

• The author may reveal a character in several ways:

• His/her physical appearance

• What he/she says, feels, thinks and dreams

• What he/she does or does not do (actions)

• What others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

Characters – stock or stereotypes

• These are characters readers

can easily relate to because

they are common throughout

stories, for example, the

typical bully or kindly

grandmother

• They can be characterized in

a sentence or two because

what is revealed about them

is usually consistent with the

readers’ understanding of

the character type.

Characters – Static vs. Dynamic

• Static character – a literary character

that remains basically unchanged

throughout the course of a story

• Dynamic character – a literary

character who undergoes a permanent

change in outlook or character during a

story

Short story – point of view Point of view (POV) is defined as the angle from which the

story is told.

Different types of Point of View:

• Objective – the writer tells what is happening through action and dialogue. (Henry said to Sally, “Hello there”)

• Third Person – the narrator does not participate in the action of the story, only tells its events (he, she, it, they)

• First Person - The narrator participates in in the action of the story. We need to remember this point of view might not be the whole objective truth – need to question the trustworthiness of the account. (I, me)

• Omniscient – the narrator knows everything about the characters, is all knowing/omniscient.

Short story -- theme

• The main idea of a short story – its controlling

idea or its central insight.

• It is the underlying meaning the author is trying

to convey. (Often a message about life – or a life

lesson)

• It is not usually stated directly – you must infer it

from a close reading.

• The theme is developed through the

interrelationship of all the characteristics of the

short story.

Identifying theme • There seems to be a bit of a fear factor when it comes to

finding the theme of a book, because it takes a little faith in one's own gut instinct sometimes.

• A theme isn't something solid that is expressed in plain words anywhere in a book. It's a feeling the book gives you or a lesson it reveals.

• There is no set method for determining theme. Sometimes we may discover theme by examining (a) the way in which the main character has changed or what he or she has learned, and (b) the nature of the central conflict.

• Theme must be expressed in the form of a statement (a sentence or several sentences). Single words, such as “guilt,” or phrases, such as “appearance versus reality,” are topics. The theme is the author’s idea about the topic. It is useful to identify several topics introduced by the text and then determine what the author argues about this topic.

Identifying Theme • Short stories are usually about certain topics, such as

friendship, family, loss, etc. The theme is usually the lesson the author is trying to teach/portray about the topic.

Example: The topic in story might be about family. However, the theme could be stated as:

• The family unit is vital in helping individuals grow and learn.

• A family can sometimes put too much pressure on its members to conform to rules.

• Good family morals are important in becoming a productive member of society, and without them, and individual might struggle.

• When asked to develop a theme for a story, you must make a theme statement that is then supported by events that occurred in the story – How did you figure that to be the theme? What elements in the story pointed you in that direction?

Themes

• Some examples of common themes in literature:

• Things are not always what they appear to be

• Love is blind, and can be dangerous

• Believe in yourself, and good things will come

• People are afraid of change, but it is necessary to personal growth

• Don’t judge a book by its cover

• As we grow older, we will lose our innocence and become more jaded

• True friendship can help us better understand ourselves

• Revenge is never a good thing

• Sacrifice is noble if done for the better good

As a recap:

Characteristics of the short story

• Genre

• Plot

• Conflict

• Setting

• Characters

• Point of view

• Theme

As we examine short stories, you will be asked to identify and

pull out details for the following short story elements.

Why read short stories?

• Short stories are meant to be

enjoyable, short pieces of

manageable length that still

teach us something about life.

• Literature is exciting in its

honest portrayal of life.

• I want you to begin to see

literature as something

connected to our own lives.

Intro to Unit: Short Story: A Slice of Life

• We are going to be focusing on stories with themes that deal

with family and identity – things that each of you have

experience with.

• Throughout our unit, I want you to be investigating the

characters and relationships in the pieces we read and trying

to connect them to your own unique situations.