(English 9) Elements of the Short Story

Conflict

clash of actions, ideas, desires, wills

• physical/mental/emotional/moral

man vs. _____

1. man vs. man

   • some other person/group of persons

2. man vs. environment

   • external force (i.e. nature, society, fate)

3. man vs. himself

   • some element of his own nature

Theme

central idea around which story is built

• view of life or truth abt. human experience

• lesson or msg. author trying to teach us

Setting

place & time of story, weather & social customs

• in some ss, setting vague & not rlly. factor; in others, setting adds credibility to action

Atmosphere

(related to setting) mood or feeling which pervades story

Symbol

literary symbol = smth. that means more than what it is

• object/person/situation/action/etc. w/ literal meaning, but suggests other meanings as well

Plot (5 parts)

introduction, cause of action, rising action, climax, denouement

Introduction

reader meets MC’s, setting established

Cause of ACtion

event that sets story in motion, near beginning

Rising Action

course of story from cause of action to climax

• several events or concentrated in single scene

Climax

peak of excitement, turning point

some uncertainty abt. ending

Denouement

outcome & how story concludes

shows result of climactic action, after climax & short

Point of View

perspective from which story is told

Point of View (2 kinds)

1st person & 3rd person

First Person POV

author becomes chr., chr. tells story (I, we)

Third Person POV

narrator is objective, not chr. in story (he, she, it)

Foreshadowing

device which hints/warns of events to happen later in story

• prepares readaer for climax, denouement, changes in protagonist

Suspense

feeling of anxiety & uncertainty abt. outcome of events/protagonist’s fate, experienced by reader

Surprise Ending

sudden twist in direction of story, produces resolution that surprises reader & often chrs.