Elements of the Short Story Notes
Short Story: Short works of fiction. Short stories usually have the following elements: 1) Plot
2) Theme 3)Character(s) 4) Conflict 5) Setting 6) Mood
Plot: What happens in a story. It is made up of a series of related events that make up the story and
include the exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Exposition or Inciting Incident: introduction of time, place, and characters (to arouse interest)
Conflict: a struggle between opposing people or forces—the problem that moves the story
Rising action: complications/problems that keep the plot from moving too smoothly toward its
resolution, create excitement or interest in the story
Climax: Point of highest interest and suspense in the story. Turning point of the character (NOT the
reader); point at which the conflict comes to a head. A brief moment in time.
Falling action: action leading to the solution
Resolution: The point at which the central conflict or struggle is ended. (a.k.a Denouement (pron: -
day-new-ma) shows how the situation turns out; ties up loose ends—e.g.“…and they lived happily
ever after.”
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# 2 THEME: The meaning or message in a story.
Some questions to consider to figure out the theme:
• What does the main character learn about himself / herself, or others at the end of the story?
• What does the title of the story mean? How does it fit in the story?
• What do you think the author’s message is?
Themes of literature/ Analyzing characters:
a. Motivation – cause of / reason for action
b. Behaviour – actions of the character.
c. Consequences – result of actions.
d. Responsibility – moral, legal, or mental accountability.
e. Expectations – what the reader expects.
# 3 CHARACTER: A person or animal who takes part in action of a literary work.
• Protagonist: the main character around which the story revolves.
• Antagonist: character who struggles against the protagonist.
A. Four types of characterization (techniques the writer uses to develop character):
1. Physical description
2. Speech and actions of the character
3. Direct comment from the narrator
4. Speech and actions of other characters
B. Four types of character:
1. Round: complex or presented in detail.
2. Dynamic: developing and learning in the course of the story.
3. Flat: characterized by one or two traits.
4. Static: unchanged from the story’s beginning to end.
#4 CONFLICT: struggle between opposing forces in order to achieve a goal or solve a problem.
There are 3 main types of conflict:
1) Man vs Man: conflict with another character or group of people.
2) Man vs Himself: an internal struggle within the characters mind – a struggle with emotions or feelings.
3) Man vs Nature or Society: a character has a struggle with nature where he or she has no control.
Resolution: The way in which the conflict ends.
# 5 SETTING: the time and place in which a story happens.
The setting is usually revealed by a description of: landscape, scenery, buildings, furniture, seasons and
weather.
# 6 MOOD: atmosphere or feeling of a story created by the writer.
2 other definitions to remember: Foreshadowing: the act of hinting at events to come
Flashback: a switch in time to tell about events that happened earlier.
a. Setting: the time and place in which the story is taking place, including factors such as weather and
social customs
b. Atmosphere: the mood or feeling which pervades the story.
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POINT OF VIEW (P.O.V)
A. Omniscient – the author tells the story using the third person. Author knows all of what is done, said,
felt, and thought by the characters.
B. Limited omniscient – the author tells the story using the third person but limits observations of
thoughts and feelings to one character, the author presents the story from this character’s eyes.
C. First person – one character tells the story in the first person. The reader sees and knows only as much
as the narrator.
D. Objective – the author is like a movie camera that moves around freely recording events. However, the
author offers no comments on the characters or their actions. Readers are not told the thoughts or
feelings of the characters.
Figurative Language
a. Simile – comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’ e.g. She is as innocent as an angel.
b. Metaphor – comparison using ‘is’ or form of ‘is’. E.g. She is an angel.
c. Personification – attributing humanlike qualities to inanimate things. E.g. The arms of a chair.
Symbol:
Anything which stands something other than itself. For example, some common symbols: a heart is a shape, but
also represents love; white is a color, but also symbolizes purity; a dove is a bird, but also stands for peace; a
flag symbolizes a country; and a flashy car may represent wealth.
Irony:
Differences between appearance and reality, expectation and result, or meaning and intention.
• verbal irony, words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant
• dramatic irony there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience
knows to be true
• irony of situation an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader,
or the audience
Characteristics of a short story:
Short enough for us to read through it at one sitting without interruption
Streamlined—aims at a single, unified effect; one main plot, generally no sub-plots
Limited number of characters and covers only a short span of time
Relates a highly dramatic or crucial time in the lives of the characters and then usually ends quickly
Fiction
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