The Elements of a Short Story - English with Ms. Engram



Story Elements, Devices, and Other Important Literary Terms

SETTING -- The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting.  For some stories the setting is very important, while for others it is not.  There are several aspects of a story's setting to consider when examining how setting contributes to a story (some, or all, may be present in a story):

a)  Place - specific location.  Where is the action of the story taking place? In a classroom? a park?

b)  Time - When is the story taking place? Ex) time of day, year, etc. You should also consider the amount of time that passes. Ex) a few hours, three days, a year.

c)  Era- historical time period. Ex) present day, the future, the 1950’s.

d) Area- geographical place. Ex) North America, Japan, Ireland.

e) Weather conditions – Consider whether the weather place a role in the story. Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc? If it contributes to the plot then it is a relevant part of the setting.

PLOT -- The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea;  It is the sequence of events in a story or play.  The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and end.  The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting.  There are five essential parts of plot:

a)  Introduction - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.

b)  Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).

c)  Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story.  The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?

d)  Falling action – The answer to the climax – what happened? The events and complications of the story begin to resolve themselves.  The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between climax and conclusion).

e)  Conclusion- This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.

It is helpful to consider climax as a three-fold phenomenon:  1)  the main character receives new information  2)  accepts this information (realizes it but does not necessarily agree with it) 3)  acts on this information (makes a choice that will determine whether or not he/she gains his objective).

CONFLICT--   Conflict is essential to plot.  Without conflict there is no plot.  It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move.  Conflict is not merely limited to open arguments, rather it is any form of opposition that faces the main character. Within a short story there may be only one central struggle, or there may be one dominant struggle with many minor ones.

CHARACTER -- There are two meanings for the word character:

1)  The person in a work of fiction.

2)  The characteristics of a person.

Persons in a work of fiction - Antagonist and Protagonist

Short stories use few characters.  One character is clearly central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character - he/she is the PROTAGONIST.  Any force or character in opposition to the main character is called the ANTAGONIST.

The Characteristics of a Person:

In order for a story to seem real to the reader its characters must seem real.  Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves.  The author may reveal a character in several ways:

a)  his/her physical appearance

b)  what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams

c)  what he/she does or does not do

d)  what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

Characters are convincing if they are:  consistent, motivated, and life-like (resemble real people)

POINT OF VIEW

Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle the author uses to tell the story:

1. First Person - The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc).  The reader sees the story through this person's eyes as he/she experiences it and only knows what he/she knows or feels.

2.  Third person- The narrator is not a character in the story.  The pronouns he, she, they, them, his, her, etc. are used. There are three main types of third person point of view:

a)  Third person Limited - The author tells the story in third person.  The story is told from one character’s vantage point. We can see what that character thinks and feels, but not the other characters.

b)  Third person Objective – The author tells the story in the third person.  The narrator only reports what is said and done.  There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts. No interpretations are offered.  The reader is placed in the position of spectator without the author there to explain.  The reader has to interpret events on his own.

c) Third person Omniscient : The narrator is all-knowing and can see into the minds of any/all characters. The narrator reports what is said and done and what characters think and feel.

3. Innocent eye -- The author narrates through the voice, thoughts, and observations of a child.

4. Stream of consciousness -- The author tells the story so that the reader feels as if they are inside the head of one character and knows all their thoughts and reactions as they occur.

 

TONE -- Tone refers to the author’s attitude towards his/her subject matter, audience, and him/her self.

THEME -- The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight.  It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey.  The theme may be the author's thoughts about a topic or view of human nature.  The title of the short story sometimes points to what the writer is saying and he may use various figures of speech to emphasize his theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or irony.

Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are:

- things are not always as they appear to be

- Love is blind

- Believe in yourself

- People are afraid of change

IRONY -- There are several types of irony in literature.  Three main types are verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony.

Verbal Irony --This is the contrast between what is said and what is meant. It is NOT the same as sarcasm. Though both are similar in regard to saying the opposite of what one means, the intent is what separates the two terms; one uses sarcasm with the intent to injure, or hurt someone’s feelings. Verbal irony is simply saying the opposite of what one means.

Dramatic Irony -- This is the contrast between what the character thinks to be true and what we (the reader) know to be true.  Sometimes as we read we are placed in the position of knowing more than what one character knows.  Because we know something the character does not, we read to discover how the character will react when he or she learns the truth of the situation.  Think:  soap operas!

Situational Irony:  This is the most common in literature.  It is the contrast between what happens and what was expected (or what would seem appropriate).  Because it emerges from the events and circumstances of a story it is often more subtle and effective than verbal or dramatic irony.

SYMBOLISM

A character, an action, a setting, or an object representing something else can be a symbol.  Most often, the symbol in a story is an object that represents its owner’s character or situation, or both.  For example, a secluded, near-empty apartment might represent the alienation and emotional emptiness of the tenant.  Symbols are usually recognizable by the amount of emphasis they receive.  Objects intended to be viewed as symbolic may be described in detail, be included in the title, be referred to frequently, or emphasized at the beginning or ending of the story.  When we recognize a symbol and understand its meaning or meanings we see more clearly what the writer chose to emphasize.

FLASHBACK:  This is a writers’ technique in which the author interrupts the plot of the story to recreate an incident of an earlier time (goes back in time; like giving the reader a memory).  This device is often used to provide additional information to the reader.

FORESHADOWING: This is a writers’ technique in which the author provides clues or hints as to what is going to happen later in the story.  It’s like the music in a scary movie when we know that something bad is about to happen.

SATIRE – Comedy based on ridiculing (making fun of) the wrong doings of others. The cartoon The Simpsons is a satirical comedy.

ALLEGORY – A story in which people, animals, and things have another meaning. Ex) The novel Animal Farm.

UTOPIA – A non-existent ideal community.

DYSTOPIA – Reverse utopia which shows hideous societies. Ex) societies in the Hunger Games, Divergent, Fahrenheit 451, 1984…

ANALOGY – Comparison made to show similarity.

ANACHRONISM – Putting a person, thing or event is some time where he/she does not belong.

ALLUSION – A reference to an historical or literary figure or event. Ex) Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” references R Kelly.

PATHOS – Pain or suffering not deserved or all out of proportion to the deed.

HERO – An exceptional being that displays greatness.

TRAGIC HERO – a great person, perhaps a noble person, with a tragic flaw (hamartia) in his or her character. This imperfection brings about his/her downfall.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE – when the words mean more than what is said or written. This is usually achieved by using figures of speech; figurative language cannot be taken literally. A list of common figures of speech are listed below:

Simile: A comparison between two unlike things using words such as: like, as, than, similar to, resembles, etc. Ex) He’s quiet as a mouse.

Metaphor:  An implied comparison between unlike things. Ex) He’s a tank.

Allusion: A reference to something in history or literature. Ex) She had a Cinderella wedding.

Personification: Giving human characteristics to an object or idea. Ex) The hours crawled by like years. *note: the object or idea must be doing the human action.

Paradox: An apparent contradiction, which is somehow true. Ex) In order to be free we must have rules.

Oxymoron: The setting together, for effect, two words of opposite meaning. Ex) burning cold, alone together, pretty ugly.

Onomatopoeia: (pronounced—on-oh-mott-oh-pee-yah): “Sound words”; Words whose sound suggests their meaning. Ex) buzz, click, snap, chop.

Hyperbole (pronounced—hi-per-bowl-ee): An extreme exaggeration used for effect. Ex) I’ve told you a hundred times; I’m starving; The suspense is killing me.

Pun: play on words. Ex) Sign stuck in the lawn outside a drug rehab center reads: “keep off the grass”.

Understatement: Saying less than what is meant, for effect. Ex) After completely destroying his car in a crash and ending up in a full body cast, the driver of the demolished car says to friends, “I was in a bit of a fender-bender.”

Idiom: A manner of speaking that is peculiar grammatically, but natural to the native speakers of the language. It cannot be taken literally. Ex). Break a leg, Apple of my eye, Brownie points.

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