What do you already know?• Which of the following terms can you define?
• Which ones do you not recognize or have trouble with?
• We will focus on the ones students have difficulty with.
• Genre
• Plot (& its parts)
• Foreshadowing
• Flashback
• Suspense
• Symbolism
• Conflict (& types)
• Setting
• Atmosphere
• Point of view (& types)
• Protagonist
• Antagonist
• Character traits
• Static character
• Dynamic Character
• Theme
What is a short story?• A fictional, narrative
piece of prose 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 -- plotA 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 - conflict2 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 -- conflictThere 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.
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 viewPoint 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.