Characteristics of a Short Story



Characteristics of a Short Story

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|What Is a Short Story? |

|A short story is a work of fiction that develops a single idea. It can be read in one sitting. Because the story is brief, each detail counts. Some short |

|stories are concerned with adventure. Others focus on the workings of people's minds. Some stories are closer to reality the others. |

|The History of the Short Story |

|The telling of tales is not new. Myths and legends were told more than 10,000 years ago. Over 2,000 years ago, the Bible included stories. Around the 1300's |

|A.D., great storytellers wrote tales in verse. |

|The modern short story, however, began only in the 1800's. The writers became interested in developing this form. The American writer Edgar Allan Poe is often |

|called "father of the modern short story." Poe stressed that short story writers must select each detail with great care. Every detail must help create "a |

|certain unique or single effect." |

|During the 1800's and 1900's, the short story has become one of the most widely read kinds of literature. Great authors from all over the world have |

|contributed to this form. |

|The Elements of a Short Story |

|Plot. The action or events of a story make up its plot. Usually the plot shows how a conflict, or struggle, develops and is settled. The conflict and the |

|events of the plot may be external. That is, they are outside the main character. They may be internal, or within the character. In many stories, the plot |

|follows these steps: |

|Introduction, or Exposition: This first part tells what the reader needs to know. It states who the characters are. It tells what has happened beforehand and |

|how the action begins. |

|Rising Action: In this part, events add complications. |

|Climax: This is often a turning point in the story. The main character usually makes a decision or changes in some way. |

|Falling Action: This part shows the effects of the climax. |

|Resolution: This last part of the story tells how the struggle ends. It suggests how the action will affect the characters. |

|Characters. In a short story the reader gets to know only one or two characters well. Each writer should clearly suggest a character's motivations, or reasons |

|for acting. |

|Setting. In some stories, the time and place of the action are of major importance. |

|Suspense. In any good story, the writer tells just enough to keep the reader wondering what will come next. Often the reader becomes tense or worried about the|

|next events. This is especially true when a character's life is in danger. The writer gradually builds the interest higher and higher. This building-up of |

|interest is called suspense. |

|How To Read a Short Story |

|1. Choose the right time and place to read the story. You should not be interrupted or distracted. Give yourself a chance to experience and recognize the |

|single effect that the writer is trying to make. |

|2. As you read the story enjoy the mood it creates. Let the characters excite or annoy you. Try to guess what will happen next. |

|More About the Elements of a Short Story |

|You have learned about three necessary elements in a short story-characters, plot, and setting. You have learned that the way the writer develops the plot |

|creates suspense. Now you will learn more about different types of characters and different types of conflicts. In addition, you will learn about three other |

|elements you will find in every story - narrator, point of view, and theme. |

|Characters. A short story can have as few as one or two characters. Even when it has more characters, only one or two are important. The important characters |

|are called the major characters. Everyone else in the story is a minor character. |

|If a character changes during the story, he or she is called a dynamic character. |

|Conflict. Almost every plot involves a conflict, or struggle between two forces. Usually, the introduction in the story lets the reader know what the conflict |

|is. The rising action shows the struggle becoming more and more intense. Often, at the climax, the main character makes a decision or discovery that determines|

|how the conflict will end. The falling action and resolution then show the conflict being settled. |

|There are several kinds of conflict, and a story may have more than one. The main character may come into conflict with another character. The main character |

|may struggle against the forces of nature or society. |

|These conflicts with forces outside the character are called external conflicts. The main character may also experience internal conflict, a struggle with |

|opposing feelings. |

|Narrator. The person telling the story is called the narrator. Often the narrator is a character in the story. Then the reader learns about the narrator from |

|what he or she does in the story. Other times the narrator is outside the story, explaining the events. Then the reader may learn about the narrator from his |

|or her comments on the events. |

|Point of View. Point of view refers to the way the narrator tells the story. If the narrator is a character in the story, the story is told in the first-person|

|point of view. The narrator uses the first-person pronouns I and me. If the narrator is outside the story, the story is told in the third-person point of view,|

|The narrator uses the third-person pronouns he, she, and they to talk about the characters. If the narrator can see into all the characters' minds, then the |

|writer has used the third-person omniscient point of view. If the narrator is limited to understanding only one character's thoughts, then the writer has used |

|the third-person limited point of view. |

|Theme. In every story, a writer expresses some opinion or shows a concern for some topic. The idea or concern that the writer presents in a short story is its |

|theme. Often a story may have more than one theme. Different readers may see different themes. Usually, it is not difficult to identify one or more of the |

|themes of a story. Ask yourself why the writer included the descriptions and events he or she chose. Remember that every detail in a short story is there for a|

|reason. Also, it is helpful to compare and contrast stories. The differences between two stories point out the differences in themes. |

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