Setting

 

•   Setting- The time and location in which a story takes place.

•   For some stories setting is very important, while for others it is not.

•    Some authors try to create a sense of universality by providing vague details about time and place, allowing their setting to be seen as any time or any place.

•    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 the story):

                   a) place- geographical location

                   b) time- When is the story taking place?

                   c) Weather condition- Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?

                   d) Social conditions- What is the daily life of the characters

                      like? Does the writing focus on speech, dress, mannerisms,

                      customs, etc. of a particular place?

                   e) Mood or atmosphere- What feeling is created at the beginning of a story? Is it bright and 

                        cheerful or dark and frightening?

Plot

 

•   Plot- The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his or her basic idea; It is the sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is 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 a plot.

 

•   Exposition- The beginning of the story where the reader is introduced to the setting, the characters, and the basic situation.

•   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 the climax).

•   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? This is often considered the most exciting part of the story.

•   Falling action- The events and complications begin to resolve themselves.

•   Resolution- This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.

Conflict

•   Conflict- A conflict is a struggle between opposing forces. Characters in conflict form the basis of stories, novels, and plays. A story may have more than one conflict and more than one type of conflict. Conflict is essential to plot.

•   Without conflict there is not plot.

•   Conflict is not 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.            

There are two types of conflict:

·   External- A struggle with a force outside one’s self.

·   Internal- A struggle within one’s self, a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.

There are four kinds of conflict:

·   Man vs. Man (physical) – The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men/women.

·   Man vs. Nature – The leading character struggles against nature

·   Man vs. Society (social) – The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people

·   Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological) -  The leading character struggles with himself/herself with his/her own soul, ideas, of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.

Character

•  Character- A character is a person who takes part in the action of a literary work. 

 

•   Protagonist- A protagonist is considered to be the main character or lead figure in a novel, play, story, or poem.  It may also be referred to as the "hero" of a work.  In a short story usually one character is clearly central to the story with all major events having some importance involving the character making him or her the protagonist. 

•   Antagonist- a character in a story or poem that deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character, or protagonist, in some way. The antagonist doesn’t necessarily have to be a person. It could be death, the devil, an illness, or any challenge that prevents the main character from living “happily ever after." In fact, the antagonist could be a character of virtue in a literary work where the protagonist represents evil.

•   The characteristics of a Person- Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters. The author may reveal a character in several ways:

•          His/her physical appearance

•          What he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams

•          What he/she does or does not do

•          What others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

 

Point of View

• Point of View (P.O.V.)- The position or vantage point from which the events of a story seem to be observed and presented to the reader.

Two Main Types of P.O.V.

·   First Person Narrative- The story is told by one of the characters in the story, using first person pronouns such as I, me, we, etc. The reader sees the story through this character's eyes and he/she experiences it and only knows what this character knows and feels.

.   Third Person Narrative- The third person point of view is a form of storytelling in which the narrator relates all action in third person, using third person pronouns such as he or she. Third person point of view may be omniscient or limited. The omniscient point of view gives the reader an unrestricted view of the story's events. The limited point of view restricts the readers knowledge of events to whatever is observed by a single character or small group of characters.

 

Theme

 

•   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/she 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 usually points to what the writer is saying and he/she may use various figures of speech to emphasize his/her theme such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, or irony.

•   Some examples of common themes from literature, television, and film are:

•          Love is blind

•          Believe in yourself

•          People are afraid of change

•          Don’t judge a book by its cover

Tools of the Short Story Writer

 

•   Tone- The tone of a literary work is the writer's attitude toward his or her audience and subject.  The tone can often be described by a single adjective, such as formal or informal, serious or playful, bitter, or ironic.

•   Mood- Mood, or atmosphere, is the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage. The mood is often suggested by descriptive details.  Often, the mood can be described in a single word such as lighthearted, frightening, or despairing. 

•   Symbol- A symbol is anything that stands for or represents something else.  An object that serves as a symbol has its own meaning but it also represents abstract ideas.  A flag symbolizes a country.  A flashy car symbolizes wealth.  Writers sometimes use such common, everyday symbols in their work, but sometimes they also create symbols of their own through emphasis or repetition. 

•   Irony- Irony is the general term for literary techniques that portray differences between appearance and reality, expectation and result, or meaning and intention.  There are three main types of irony: verbal, dramatic, and situational.  In verbal irony, words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant.  In dramatic irony, there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true.  In situational irony, an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience.

•   Imagery- Imagery is the descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader.  These pictures, or images, are created by details of sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, or movement.  An image appeals to one or more of the five senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell.

•   Foreshadowing- Foreshadowing is the use of clues in a literary work that suggest events that have yet to occur.  Use of this technique helps to create suspense, keeping the readers wondering and speculating about what will happen next.