ELEMENTS OF THE SHORT STORY

The short story emerges from the writers careful manipulation of

various formal elements, which will usually include:
Characterization
Setting (Time and Place)
Point of View
Tone
Plot (Action and Conflict)
Symbolism
Theme
Language

CHARACTERS IN SHORT STORIES
Broadly speaking, there are
two types of characters:

(a) The developing character:
This kind of character
undergoes a process in which
his attitudes and beliefs are
CHANGED. (Rounded
character.)
(b) The static character:
This kind of character does
NOT change. (Flat character.)
THE SETTING (TIME AND PLACE)
Functions of the Setting:

1. Contributes to theme
2. Creates atmosphere and tone
3. Helps to unfold the action and
conflict
4. Contributes to our
understanding of characters
(The setting may be part of the
exposition, or may be spread
throughout the story.)

Omniscient (all-
knowing)
First person narrator
Limited third person
POINT OF VIEW
There is an all-knowing
presence in the story
who has access to the
thoughts of all the
characters.
This point of view is
God-like.
OMNISCIENT POINT OF VIEW
This is when the story is told by a
character IN the story.
The first person narrator may or
may not be central to the action.
The first person may be the
protagonist or a secondary
character who is peripheral to the
main action.
The personal pronoun I is used.
FIRST PERSON NARRATOR
In this kind of story the
reader is only presented
with the thoughts, feelings
and experiences of ONE of
the characters in the story.
The personal pronoun he
or she is used.
The narrator confines
himself to what this single
character experiences.
LIMITED THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW
TONE
Tone is really the writers
attitude towards the subject
he is writing about and his
attitude to the reader.
The author MANIPULATES
the tone to produce a specific
response in the reader.
THE PLOT
the action or events of a story, arranged in a
meaningful way. There are usually the following stages in the
development of the plot:

Exposition: The situation is established. This includes
information about the background of the story, the
introduction of characters, the description of the setting
and the establishment of atmosphere.

Rising Action - The action in the story leading up to the
climax.
Conflict: This is the central action, also known as the
complication. This conflict usually leads to the climax
(high-point of intensity of feeling or action) of the story.
Denouement: The end of the story the outcome of
the conflict, also known as the resolution.



Climax - The point of crisis in the plot. It may be
the readers point of highest interest.
Falling action - The action in the story after the
climax is revealed.
Resolution - The part of the plot that reveals the
final outcome.

THE PLOT IN A SHORT STORY
Resolution
Climax
Exposition
Conflict

-Man vs. Man
-Man vs. Nature
-Man vs. Obstacle or Society
- Man vs. Supernatural Being
-Man vs. Himself
-Man vs. Circumstance
Types of Conflict
SYMBOLISM
A symbol is an object,
action, or idea that
represents something
other than itself, often of
a more abstract nature.
Symbolism creates
quality aspects that
make literature like
poetry and novels more
meaningful.
THEME
The theme is the main idea that the writer is trying to
put across to the reader.
It runs through the whole story and is the important
aspect that UNIFIES the story.
The THEME is the general SUBJECT of the story.


Style in literature is the literary
element that describes the ways
that the author uses words the
author's word choice, sentence
structure, figurative language, and
sentence arrangement all work
together to establish mood,
images, and meaning in the text.
Style describes how the author
describes events, objects, and
ideas.
STYLE