Elements of
Short Stories
PowerPoint adapted from:
Setting
The setting is the place where the story
takes place. Setting includes the
following:
– The geographical location
• For example: London, Cairo, Halifax, Vancouver
– The time period
• For example: 1865, during WWII, today
– The socio-economic characteristics of the
location
• For example: wealthy suburbs
– The specific building, room etc.
• For example: a prep school, a log cabin, a bus, a
military base
Setting
Can be used to tell readers about the
characters:
That evening T.J. smelled the
air, his nostrils dilating with the
odor of the earth under his feet.
“It’s spring,” he said, and there
was gladness rising in his voice
that filled us all with the same
feeling.
“It’s mighty late for it, but it’s
spring” … We were all sniffing at
the air, too, trying to smell it the way that T.J. did, and I
can still remember the sweet odor of the earth under
our feet. It was the first time in my life that spring and
spring earth had meant anything to me.
“Antaeus” by Borden Deal
Setting
Can be used to set the atmosphere for the story:
“During the whole of a dull,
dark, and soundless day in
the autumn of the year,
when the clouds hung
oppressively low in the
heavens, I had been passing
alone, on horseback, though
a singularly dreary tract of
country.”
“The Fall of the House of Usher”
by Edgar Allan Poe
Characters
The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as
people) appearing in a literary work.
• Round Characters are convincing, true to
life. Have many different and sometimes
even contradictory personality traits.
• Dynamic Characters undergo some type
of change or development in story, often
because of something that happens to
them
• Flat Characters are stereotyped, shallow,
and often symbolic. Have only one or two
personality traits
• Static Characters do not change in the
course of the story
Characters
• Protagonist: The main
character in a literary
work (for instance,
Charles in “Here There
Be Tygers” or Cinderella
or Snow White in the
fairy tales named for
their characters)
•Antagonist: The character who opposes the protagonist
(for instance, Miss Bird in “Here There Be Tygers” or the
wicked stepmothers in the fairy tales)
Methods of Characterization
Direct Characterization: The author develops the
personality of a character by direct statements.
“Jack had been in basic
training in Florida and Dottie
was there on vacation with
her parents. They’d met on
the beach and struck up a
conversation. Dottie was the
talker, the outgoing one – the
extrovert. Jack was too shy
around girls to say much at
all.”
“Furlough – 1944” by Harry Mazer
Methods of Characterization
Indirect Characterization: Revealing a
character’s personality through:
• The character’s thoughts, words,
and actions
• The comments of other characters
• The character’s physical appearance
Indirect Characterization
through Thoughts
“Moonbeam closed his eyes and
pretended to sleep the rest of the
way to Bamfield. He couldn’t
believe what he had gotten himself
into. How had this happened? He’d
never held a gun in his life, much
less gone hunting for animals.”
“Moonbeam Dawson and the Killer Bear”
by Jean Okimoto
Indirect Characterization
through Words
It was Kenny Griffen, smiling
complacently. “Miss Bird sent me
after you ‘cause you been gone six
years. You’re in trouble… yer
constipated!” Kenny chortled
gleefully. “Wait’ll I tell Caaathy!”
“Here There Be Tygers” by Stephen King
Indirect Characterization
through Actions
“The boy held his breath;
he wondered whether his
father would hear his heart
beating… Through a crack
in the counter he could see
his father where he stood,
one hand held to his high
stiff collar…”
“I Spy” by Graham Greene
Indirect Characterization
through Appearance
“Miss Kinney was young and blonde and bouncy
and had a boyfriend who picked her up after
school in a blue Camaro.”
“Here There Be Tygers” by Stephen King
Plot
Plot is how the author arranges events to develop his/her
basic idea. It is the sequence of events in a story or play.
The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a
beginning, middle and end.
Plot Components
Introduction: The start of the story, the situation
before the action starts
Rising Action: The series of conflicts and crisis in
the story that lead to the climax
Climax / Turning Point: The most intense moment
– either mentally or in action – the reader
wonders what will happen next; will the conflict
be resolved or not?
Falling Action: The events and complications begin
to resolve themselves. (The events between the
climax and the resolution)
Resolution: The conclusion, the untangling of
events in the story
Plot: Conflict
Conflict is the
dramatic struggle
between two forces in
a story. Without
conflict there is no
plot.
Plot: Types of Conflict
Interpersonal Conflict
• Human vs. Human
• Human vs. Nature
• Human vs. Society
Internal Conflict
• Human vs. Self
Point of View
The angle or perspective from which
the story is told
• Who is telling the story?
– For instance, is it a player on the home
team or someone watching the game?
• How do we know what is happening?
– For instance, does a character tell us?
First Person Point of View
Told from the viewpoint of one of the
characters, using the first person
pronoun “I”.
“The thousands of injuries of Fortunato I
had borne as I best could, but when he
ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.
You, who so well know the nature of my
soul, will not suppose, however, that I
give utterance to a threat.”
“The Cask of Amontillado”
by Edgar Allan Poe
• Innocent Eye: The story is told
through the eyes of a child (his/her
judgment being different from that
of an adult).
• Stream of Consciousness: The story
is told so that the reader feels as if
they are inside the head of one
character and knows all their
thoughts and reactions.
Second Person Point of
View
The main character in the story is referred
to using the second person pronoun
“you”.
“Rubbing your aching head, you take in the scene around
you. Nearby you see a narrow dirt road, and beyond it a
fast-running brook. The road disappears into dense woods
on either side of the field.
You hear the sound of hooves, and a strange clanking
noise. Someone is coming! You duck behind a tree as two
men on horseback ride toward you. They are wearing
shining metal armor. One of them carries a white banner
with a golden lion on it. They must be knights! You watch
as they rein in their horses and dismount just a few yards
away.”
Choose Your Own Adventure : The Forbidden Castle by Edward Packard
Third Person Point of View
The story is told using a narrator who is located
outside of the action of the story and uses third
person pronouns such as “he”, “she”, “his”, “her”,
“they” etc.
Third Person Point of View can be broken up into
three different types:
• Omniscient
• Limited Omniscient
• Objective
Omniscient Point of View
The narrator has the power to show the
reader what is happening though a
number of characters’ eyes.
“Myop carried a short knobby stick. She struck
out at random at chickens she liked, and worked
out the beat of a song on the fence around the
pigpen. She felt light and good in the warm sun.
She was ten, and nothing existed for her but her
son, the stick she clutched in her dark brown
hand, and the tat-de-ta-ta-ta of
accompaniment.”
“The Flowers” by Alice Walker
Limited Omniscient Point of
View
Third person, told from the viewpoint of a
character in the story.
“They all laughed, and while they were
laughing, the quiet boy moved his bare foot
on the sidewalk and merely touched, brushed
against a number of red ants that were
scurrying about on the sidewalk. Secretly his
eyes shining, while his parents chatted with
the old man, he saw the ants hesitate, quiver,
and lie still on the cement. He sensed they
were cold now.”
“Fever Dream” by Ray Bradbury
Objective Point of View
Third person, told as if from a camera
that follows the characters. Only what is
said and done is recorded.
“Jennifer stirred in bed. The cotton sheet clung
to her body as she rolled to face the nightstand.
With eyes half open, she reached over to switch
the alarm clock off when the man in the
shadows reached out and grabbed her arm. Her
scream pierced the quiet night and died
abruptly as she was forced violently back into
the dark oblivion.”
“Objective Point of View” writesville.com
Theme
• Theme is the central idea or central
message of the story. It usually
contains some insight into the
human condition – telling
something about humans and life.
• The theme can be stated directly or
implied by the events and actions in
the story.
Types of Irony
• Verbal Irony: This is the contrast between what is
said and what is meant. In other words: sarcasm.
• Dramatic Irony: This is the contrast between what
the character thinks to be true and what we (the
reader) know to be true. Sometimes as we read we
are placed in the position of knowing more than what
one character knows. Because we know something
the character does not, we read to discover how the
character will react when he or she learns the truth of
the situation.
• Situational Irony: This is the most common in
literature. It is the contrast between what happens
and what was expected (or what would seem
appropriate). Because it emerges from the events
and circumstances of a story it is often more subtle
and effective than verbal or dramatic irony.
Symbolism
A symbol represents an idea, quality, or
concept larger than itself.
• A journey can
• A lion can be
symbolize life
a symbol of
courage.
• Water may
represent
cleanliness
and renewal
• A red rose
can
represent
love.
Flashback
This is a writers’ technique in which the author
interrupts the plot of the story to recreate an
incident of an earlier time (goes back in time; like
giving the reader a memory). This device is often
used to provide additional information to the reader.
Foreshadowing
This is a writers’
technique in which the
author provides clues or
hints as to what is going
to happen later in the
story. It’s like the music
in a scary movie when
we know that something
bad is about to happen.