THE SHORT STORY
Small but mighty!!
Definition


A short work of prose fiction that is
shorter than a novel
Prose: a style of writing that is closer to
everyday speech
(basically, not verse)
Elements





A short story is a work of fiction that is usually
written in prose, often in narrative format.
This format tends to be briefer than longer works of
fiction, such as novellas and novels or books.
Short story definitions based upon length differ
somewhat even among professional writers.
Since the short story format includes a wide range of
genres and styles, the actual length is determined by
the individual author's preference (or the story's
actual needs in terms of creativity or the story arc).
Guidelines vary greatly among publishers.
PLOT



What happens in a story, or the “storyline”
Plot is often designed with a narrative
structure or story arc that includes five parts.
What are they?
exposition, conflict, rising action and climax,
followed by a falling action and resolution
Plot Pyramid
(RESOLUTION)
Exposition
Exposition is the beginning of the plot that is
concerned with introducing characters and
setting.
These elements may be largely presented at
the beginning of the story, or may occur as a
sort of incidental description throughout.
Rising Action


Rising Action is the central part of a story
during which various problems arise, leading
up to the climax.
Conflict is the "problem" in a story which
triggers the action.
Conflict
Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces.
External conflict
 a character clashes with an outside force—for
example, another character, society, or nature.
Internal conflict
 a character grapples with his or her own
opposing feelings, beliefs, needs, or desires.
Conflict drives the plot forward.
Can you have a story without conflict?
Climax



The climax is the high point of the story, where a
culmination of events create the peak of the conflict.
The climax usually features the most conflict and
struggle, and usually reveals any secrets or missing
points in the story.
The climax isn't always the most important scene in
a story. In many stories, it is the last sentence, with
no successive falling action or resolution.
Falling Action

The falling action is the part of a story
following the climax. This part of the story
shows the result of the climax, and its effects
on the characters, setting, and proceeding
events.
Resolution

Also called a dénouement (derived from
French, meaning to “untie the knot”)
–



Pronounced day-noo-mahn
A resolution or dénouement is the conclusion
of the story.
Conflicts are resolved, creating normality for
the characters.
Be aware that not all stories have a
resolution.
What makes a good short story?

Turn to your talk partners and discuss. You
have one minute.
Edgar Allan Poe’s Rules for Short Stories
A short story should:

Be complete by itself.

Be able to be read in one sitting.

Have every word used for important effect.

Have a good opening sentence that is developed
throughout the work.

End at its climax.

Have no more characters than those necessary for
the action.
Vonnegut’s Rules
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel
the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things -- reveal character or advance
the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters,
make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see
what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window to the world, so to
speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible.
To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete
understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish
the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
Setting


Writers describe the world they know. Sights,
sounds, colors, and textures are all vividly painted in
words as an artist paints images on canvas. A writer
imagines a story to be happening in a place that is
rooted in his or her mind. The location of a story's
actions, along with the time in which it occurs, is the
setting.
Setting is created by language. How many or how
few details we learn is up to the author. Many
authors leave a lot of these details up to the reader's
imagination.
Setting
Setting tells us where and when a story takes
place.
 Setting can include location, the weather, the time of
day, and the time period (past, present, or future.)
 Setting can even include people’s customs-how
they live, dress, eat, and behave.
 The purpose of setting is to provide a background—
a place where the characters can live and act.
NOTE: A good setting make a story memorable!

How is setting created?

Setting is created using imagery.

What is imagery?

Images are words or phrases that call forth a
response from our senses—sight, smell,
touch, hearing, and taste.
Setting, Mood, and Tone



Setting can also provide mood, or
atmosphere—it can affect the way we feel.
The emotional effect created by a story’s
atmosphere draws us into the plot and makes
us care about the characters.
Writers can also use setting to help express a
tone, or attitude toward a subject or character.
MOOD


How can setting affect mood?
If a story is set in a wild forest at night, with
wolves howling in the distance, what mood is
created?
–

A mood of terror, tension, or uneasiness
If a story is set in a cozy cottage with a
garden full of sunlight and the chirps of birds,
what mood is created?
–
A mood of peace, calm, comfort
TONE
How is tone created?
 Tone is conveyed through the writer’s
choice of words and details.

DICTION

A writer’s choice of words is called
diction.
–
Words have connotative and denotative
meanings.
dictionary definition
 Connotation  meanings, associations, or
emotions attached to words
 Denotation
“Hills Like White Elephants”
by Earnest Hemingway



Written in 1927 during Modernism period
Break with traditional forms and subject
matters
First war between everyone (1914-1918)
–
–

Economic shift
–
–

Great brutality
Is this what we’ve become
More mechanized, systemized
Workers needed less
Led to fragmentation and disillusionment
Modernism cont…


Ezra Pound said, “Make it new!”
Broke the rules of the narrative
–
–
–

Stream of consciousness
Complicated internal monologues
Protagonist changed to an alienated, isolated
character
Americans experiencing new things
–
–
–
Most went to war
Many went to Paris so they could live comfortably
Very glamorous, but terrifying
Modernism cont…

Hemingway used the Iceberg theory
–
–
–
–
Every word matters
Creates room for interpretation
Makes you struggle for meaning
He wants you to put the pieces back together
Read


“Hills Like White Elephants”
Written in 1927
After Reading

There is obviously a disagreement about
something. What do you think they are
talking about?
Close Read




Highlight descriptions of the setting in yellow
or underline with your talk partner
Highlight discussion between characters in
another color or circle
What seems to be important? If it seems
important, it probably is.
Write a paragraph: Using these clues, what
do you think they are talking about? Why do
you think this? Cite textual evidence to
support your answer.