Short Story Unit

9th Literature and CompositionMrs. Hobbs

What is a short story? Brief (short) work of fiction Has plot, setting, characters and dialogue (like novel)

How is a short story different than a novel? Shorter, can be read in one sitting Contains less characters and other details Concise: author begins story close to climax (main

event) Edgar Allan Poe, father of short story, believed a

short story leaves a single dominant impression on the reader—story is usually built around one character, place, idea or act

Characteristics of a Short Story

Elements of Short Story: Setting

Setting: time and place of a story’s action-background against which incidents of story take place-helps to create tone or feeling in story

Example: “The story takes place inthe woods a long timeago…”

Elements of a Short Story: Characters

Characters: actors in the story’s plot.

Protagonist: main character

Antagonist: in conflict with main character

Example: Protagonist: Little Red Riding HoodAntagonist: Big Bad Wolf

Types of Characters: Flat character: reveals only one personality

trait Round character: many personality traits

(multidimensional much like an actual human) Dynamic character: changes throughout

the course of the story (Ex. a boy who once teased his brother starts to treat his brother kindly)

Static character: one who does not change in the story

Elements of a Short Story: Characters

Characterization: methods a writer uses to

tell us about the characters-through character’s actions-what others say about character-author’s word choice in descriptive passage

Direct characterization: author states directly what character’s personality is like (Ex. “the old man was very mean”)

Indirect characterization: authors show character in action, lets reader find out character’s personality through character’s actions, words, or other character’s observations or reactions (Ex. “the old man smiled a wicked smile”)

Elements of a Short Story:Characterization

Elements of Short Story: Point-of-View

Point of view: perspective from which the story is told

Narrator: speaker who tells the story First-person: narrator is character in story—uses

“I” Third-person limited: narrator reveals thoughts of

only one character, refers to character as “he”, “she”

Third-person omniscient: narrator knows everything about the story’s events, reveals thoughts of all characters

Example: “Little Red Riding Hood” is told from third-person omniscient point of view: narrator explains what Little Red Riding Hood is doing as well as what is happening to her grandmother

Elements of Short Story:Theme

Theme: Central message of the story

Stated theme: directly stated in the story

Implied theme: must be inferred by considering all the elements of the story

Example: The theme in “Little Red Riding Hood” is implied: be suspicious of things or people that do not appear the way they should.

Elements of a Short Story:Plot

Plot: Sequence of events in a story (what happens)

Plot is often created through conflict, a struggle between opposing forces

Elements of Short Story:Types of Conflict

External Conflict: struggle between character and outside forces (another character, nature, society or fate)

Person vs. Person Person vs. Nature Person vs. Society

Internal Conflict: struggle takes place in the mind of the character

Person vs. Self

Example: In “Little Red Riding Hood,” the conflict is external person to person conflict: Little Red Riding Hood vs. the wolf.

Most short stories have a specific formula and

develop in 5 stages: Exposition: introduces the story’s characters,

setting and conflict Rising Action: occurs as complications, twists,

and conflict happen in the plot Climax: action reaches its highest point Falling action: decline in action that comes

after climax Resolution: the conclusion of the story—

central conflict is ended or resolved

Short Story Structure:Plot Stages

Short Story Diagram

Exposition: the start of the story, the situation before the action starts

Rising Action: the series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax

Climax: the turning point, the most intense moment—either mentally or in action

Falling Action: all of the action which follows the climax

Resolution: the conclusion, the tying together of all of the threads

1. Little Red Riding Hood begins walking through the forest

with a basket for her grandmother.2. Little Red Riding Hood comments on grandmother’s teeth

—he responds by eating her.3. The woodsman arrives to the scene to discover the wolf

dressed in the bonnet of the grandmother.4. The woodsman kills the wolf and out steps the

grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood, happy and safe.5. The big bad wolf spots Little Red Riding Hood walking and

asks her where she is going.6. Wolf eats grandmother; disguises himself as grandmother

Little Red Riding Hood arrives at her grandmother’s house and sits at her bedside.

Mapping Activity

Group Activity: Diagram “Little Red Riding Hood”

Exposition: Little Red Riding Hood begins walking through the forest with a basket for her grandmother.

Rising Action: The big bad wolf spots Little Red Riding Hood walking and asks her where she is going.

Climax: Little Red Riding Hood comments on grandmother’s teeth—he responds by eating her.

Falling Action: The woodsman arrives to the scene to discover the wolf dressed in the bonnet of the grandmother.

Resolution: The woodsman kills the wolf and out steps the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood, happy and safe.

--Wolf eats grandmother; disguises himself as grandmother.

--Little Red Riding Hood arrives at her grandmother’s house and sits at her bedside.

Short Story Elements:Mood, Tone, Style and Imagery Mood: overall feeling in

a story (dark, happy or gloomy)

Tone: clues that tell writer’s attitude about the subject of the story

Style: unique way the author tells the story

Imagery: words or “word pictures” writers use that help reader imagine smells, sights, tastes and sounds in story (Ex. The smell of the crisp bacon sizzling on the stove wafted through the house).

Short Story Elements:Foreshadowing, Flashback &

Suspense Foreshadowing: gives

reader clues about events that will happen later in the story

Suspense: technique author uses to keep reader interested in the story

Flashback: earlier episode, conversation, or event is inserted into the story (the story “flashes” back to the past)

Irony: A contrast between appearance and

reality Verbal Irony – saying one thing but meaning

something completely different Calling a clumsy basketball player “Michael

Jordan” Situational Irony – A contradiction between

what we expect to happen and what really does happen

Dramatic Irony – occurs when the reader knows something important that the characters in the story do not know

Short Story Elements:Irony

Short Story Elements:Dialogue, Diction, and Dialect

Dialogue: conversation between characters in a story

Diction: an author’s choice of words Denotation: literal meanings

of words (Ex: Abercrombie & Fitch denotes a clothing store)

Connotation: images or associations that word might suggest (Ex: Abercrombie & Fitch brings up connotations (associations) of teenage popularity, wealth, etc.

Dialect: language spoken by people of a certain region (Ex. Southern dialect)