Elements of a Short Story

Setting

Setting

• Time• Place• Surrounding ideas, customs, values, and

beliefs

Characters

Characters

• Protagonist – main character• Antagonist – in conflict with the main

character– Not always the “bad guy”– Not all stories have an antagonist

Point of View

Point of View• Narrator – person telling the story• 1st person – narrator is a character in the story,

uses “I” and “me”• 2nd person – narrator uses “you” in reference

to self or reader• 3rd person – narrator is outside the story– 3rd person omniscient narrator – knows everything

that goes on– 3rd person limited narrator – describes events as

one of the characters sees them

Theme

Theme

• Message of a story readers can apply to life• Stated themes – directly presented in a story• Implied themes – can be implied by the story

but are not explicitly stated

Plot

Plot

• Sequence of events in a story, a series of related events

• Most plots deal with a conflict or problem between opposing forces– External conflict – between a character and

outside forces (another character, nature, society, or fate)

– Internal conflict – within a character who struggles with opposing feelings or indecision

Parts of Plot

• Exposition• Rising Action• Climax• Falling Action• Resolution

Exposition

• Introduces the story’s characters, setting, and conflict

Rising Action

• Develops the conflict with complications and twists

Climax

• Emotional high point of the story

Falling Action

• Shows what happens to the characters after the climax

Resolution

• Shows how the conflict is resolved or how the problem is solved

Book or Movie• Setting• Characters• Point of view• Theme• Plot– Exposition– Rising action– Climax– Falling action– Resolution

Homework: 10-sentence story

• Write a 10-sentence story that includes all the elements of a short story.

• Be sure to consciously include your setting, characters, point of view, theme, and plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution)