WEEK 1 (2) short story elements

• A short story is a short piece of fiction with one unit of place, time, and action
• It is a "bite size" version of a novel that can be read in one sitting
• Written by someone with serious artistic intentions to broaden, deepen, and sharpen awareness of life
• Short stories bring readers into the real world to understand life's difficulties and empathize with others
• Short stories have eight elements: plot and structure, character and characterization, theme, setting, point of view, tone and style, symbol, allegory and fantasy, humor and irony
• Plot:

  • Reflection of motivation and causation
  • Sequence of incidents or events through which an author constructs a story
• Structure:

  • Defines the layout of the work
  • Presents how each event causes or leads to the next
• Conflict is a major element of the plot because it arouses curiosity, causes doubt, creates tension, and produces interest
• Conflict is classified into external and internal conflicts
• External conflict: between a character and an outside force like another character, nature, society, or fate
• Internal conflict: takes place within the mind of a character torn between opposing feelings or different courses of action
• Most plots develop in five stages:
• Exposition: introduces the story's characters, setting, and conflict
• Rising action: complications, twists, or intensifications of the conflict occur
• Climax: emotional high point of the story, the most exciting part
• Falling action: logical result of the climax
• Resolution: presents the final outcome of the story, may be happy, unhappy, or indeterminate
• Character is a verbal representation of a human being in a story
• Every story needs characters: people, animals, or any other creatures
• Character can be a protagonist ("the good guy") or antagonist ("the bad guy")
• Character can be flat, round, stock, static, or developing
• Types of Characters:
• Flat Character: has one or two predominant traits, can be summed up in a few lines
• Example: A father who is strict from the beginning to the end of the story
• Round Character: complex, many faceted, has qualities of real people
• Example: In the story, he is a father, a goon, an executive, etc
• Static Character: remains essentially the same throughout
• Example: The daughter who remains a baby from start to finish
• Conditions that regulate change in a developing character:

  • Must be consistent with the individual's characterization as dramatized in the story
  • Must be sufficiently motivated by the circumstances in which the character is placed
  • The story must offer sufficient time for the change to take place and still be believable
• Characterization of Sonia, the protagonist:

  • Tall, fair complexion, long hair, happy, humble, obedient, studious, etc.
• Setting:

  • Setting as Place: The physical environment where the story takes place, often pointing towards its importance
  • Setting as Time: Includes time in all dimensions, determining its importance by considering what was going on at that time
  • Setting as Cultural Context (Condition): Involves the social circumstances of the time and place, considering historical events and social and political issues of the time
• Effects of Setting:

  • Creates atmosphere
  • Gives insight to characters
  • Provides connections to other aspects of the story
• Example of Setting:

  • Place: Home in the farm
  • Time: During her childhood
• Point of view refers to whoever is telling the story
• Determining the POV involves asking "who is telling the story" and "how much do they know"
• Factors influencing POV:

  • Physical situation of the narrator as an observer
  • Speaker's intellectual and emotional position
• Types of POV:

  • First person: I, we
  • Second person: you (uncommon)
  • Third person: He, she, they (most common)
• Point of view categories:

  • Dramatic/objective: strictly reporting
  • Omniscient: all-knowing
  • Limited omniscient: some insight
• Example paragraph POV: Omniscient
• Theme is the central idea or message of a story