SHORT STORIES
•TAKE OUT YOUR BOOKS
•RULE OFF FROM LAST CLASS
•WRITE IN TODAYS DATE
Starter: DO NOW
Write down at least 5 words that you think of
when you think of short stories.
SHORT STORIES
Features of Short Stories
1. Can be read in one sitting
2. Usually have a single main event and one or two
3.
4.
5.
6.
main characters.
Use a technique called economy of style
(minimal or only important details included due
to limitations created by length.)
Have a climax
Some may have a twist at the end
Have a sense of a single completed experience
Features of Short Stories
A short story uses an economy of style to get the
message across. Only a few details of plot or
description are given and characters are not
developed fully. There is no time to set a scene
or give background information so writers
launch straight into the story and we learn as
much as we need as the story progresses.
There is usually a climax or a crucial point to the
story where the conflict may be sorted out
and mysteries become clear.
Features of Short Stories
As with a novel, short stories contain:
 Characters
 Plot
 Setting
 Theme
 Style
 Viewpoint
Types of Short Stories
Slice of Life
Story of
Narration
Types of
Short
Stories
Story of
Atmosphere
Surprise Ending
Story of
Incident
Story of
Character
The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury
The Pedestrian Questions
What did Mr Leonard Mead most love to
do?
2. What year is the story set?
3. Why did Mr Leonard Mead change to
sneakers?
4. Who does Leonard Mead ask, “What’s up
on channel 4, channel 7, channel 9?”
1.
The Pedestrian Questions
5.What is Leonard Mead’s attitude towards
the shows on television? Provide support
for your answer.
6.How many years has Leonard Mead been
walking as he does?
7. How many people live in the city?
8. How many police cars are there?
9. Where was Mr Mead on his way to when
he was stopped by the police car?
The Pedestrian Questions
10. What is Mead’s profession?
11. Why does the voice from the police car
respond “No profession”?
12. What does Mead’s profession reveal about
his character and his place in society?
13. What is significant about the following
simile? How does it add to the mood
and/or theme? The light held him fixed, like a
museum specimen, needle thrust through chest.
The Pedestrian Questions
14. What crime did Mr Mead commit?
15. What commentary does Bradbury make
about television’s role in society through
this story?