Elements of Fiction

Analyzing the Short Story

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The Elements of a Short Story

• Plot• Character• Setting• Point of View• Theme• Conflict• Style

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PLOT – General Facts

• The plot of a story relates to the manner in which an author arranges the events in the story

• The plot answers the questions about “what happens” in the story and “why” it happens

• Plots can be arranged in a variety of ways depending on the effect the author wishes to create in the reader

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PLOT – Elements of Plot

• Exposition (introduction) – information needed to understand what will happen in the story

• Complication (rising action) – the elements that create the conflict(s) in the story

• Climax – the turning point in the story when characters try to resolve the complication(s)

• Falling Action– the elements that lead towards the conclusion of the story

• Resolution (denouement) – the final outcome

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PLOT – Questions to Ask

• What is the conflict(s) on which the plot turns? • Is the conflict(s) external, internal, or a combination?• What are the chief episodes that make up the plot?• In what order, if any, are the episodes arranged?• Comparing the beginning to the conclusion, what essential

changes have taken place in the plot?• What are the exposition, complication, climax, resolution,

and conclusion?• Is the plot unified? If not, why not?• Is the conclusion logically drawn from the episodes?• How do the characters advance the plot?

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CHARACTER - Definition

• Character can relate to a person in the short story• Character can also relate to the qualities or

characteristics of a person in a short story• Characterization is the process of creating an

imaginary person in the story so that they appear life-like or real.

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CHARACTER - Categories

• Protagonist – usually the leading character or main character

• Antagonist – usually the character that is the force acting against the protagonist

• Flat Character – a one-dimensional person in the story; one with little “depth”

• Round Character – a multi-dimensional person in the story; one with much “depth”

• Dynamic Character – any person in the story who grows and changes from beginning to end

• Static Character – any person in the story who does not grow or change from beginning to end

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CHARACTER – Qualities that Create

• Physical characteristics• Attire• Actions• Opinions• Viewpoint• Manner of speaking • Thoughts• Opinions of other characters

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CHARACTER – Questions to Ask

• Who is the protagonist?• Who is the antagonist?• What is the function of the minor characters?• Is the character flat, round, static, dynamic, etc.?• How is the character revealed in the story?• Are the actions of the character properly

motivated and plausible?• Is the character “real” to the reader?• What are the character’s thoughts?

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SETTING - Definition

• The setting relates to the location of the story’s action, time, and location

• Setting adds an important dimension to the meaning of the story

• Setting can be literal, or it can be symbolic

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SETTING – Qualities that Create

• Geographical location• Time – clock time, era• Physical location – weather, time of day, etc.• Social location• Mood or atmosphere

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SETTING – Questions to Ask

• What is the story’s physical location?• In what time period (clock and era) does the story

take place?• Does the reader “see” the setting more, or “feel”

the setting more?• Does the setting contribute to the advancement of

plot or character in the story?• Is the setting intended to be real or symbolic?

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POINT OF VIEW - Definition

• The perspective from which the story is told• The point of view reveals to the reader what is

known about the story, and how the action happens

• The point of view can come from one character, multiple characters, or from an narrator outside of the story

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POINT OF VIEW - Types

• First Person Central• First Person Minor• Third Person Limited (Central)• Third Person Objective• Third Person Omniscient

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POINT OF VIEW – First Person Limited

• The narrator is the central character (protagonist)• The narrator can reveal his/her thoughts and

actions• The narrator is limited to his/her physical

knowledge and/or interaction with the plot and other characters

• The reader is influenced by the narrator’s limitations and opinions

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POINT OF VIEW – First Person Minor

• The narrator is a minor character in the story• The narrator can reveal his/her thoughts and

actions• The narrator can only reveal the external actions

and interactions of other characters• The reader is influenced by the narrator’s

limitations and opinions

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POINT OF VIEW – Third Person Central

• The narrator is outside of the story• The narrator can reveal the thoughts and actions

of the central character (protagonist)• The narrator can reveal the external actions of the

other characters• Since the narrator is not a character, the

limitations and bias evident in First Person Central do not exist

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POINT OF VIEW – Third Person Objective

• The narrator is outside of the story• The narrator can reveal the external actions and

interactions of the characters• Since the narrator is not a character, and since

the narrator is limited to objective observation, the reader receives only an external view of the story

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POINT OF VIEW – Third Person Omniscient

• The narrator is outside of the story• The narrator can reveal the thoughts and actions

of all characters• The narrator can reveal information unknown to

the characters• The narrator can offer any and all information to

the reader• The narrator is “all-knowing”

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POINT OF VIEW – Questions to Ask

• Who is telling the story to the reader?• Is this view consistent throughout the story?• What information does the narrator reveal to the

reader? • Does the narrator withhold any information?• Does the narrator illustrate bias and/or influence

the reader’s opinions of the story?• How would the story differ if it was told from

another point of view?

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THEME - Definition

• The theme is the main point or central idea promoted in the story

• The theme can be a statement about life that unifies or controls the story

• The theme is the insight the story wishes to convey

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THEME – Questions to Ask

• Is the theme stated or implied?• Does the title offer evidence of a theme?• Does the author use symbolism, allusion, irony, or

other figures of speech to convey the theme?• Does the author use elements of the story

(character, setting, plot, etc.) to convey the theme?

• Does the theme emerge naturally, or does the author state the theme?

• What is the value or depth of the theme?

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CONFLICT - Definition

• Conflict is the opposition of forces which ties one incident in a story to another incident

• Conflict advances the plot• There can be any number of conflicts, major and

minor, in a story

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CONFLICT - Types

• External – a struggle with a force outside of one’s self

• Internal – a struggle within one’s self• Man versus Man (physical)• Man versus Circumstances (classical)• Man versus Society (social)• Man versus Himself/Herself (psychological)

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STYLE - Definition

• Style is the manner in which the author tells the story in terms of the specific formal techniques and language devices used

• Style can be a significant manner in which the reader can distinguish one author from another

• Style can also be generic and not help the reader distinguish one author from another

• Style, to a large degree, can be imitated

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STYLE – Characteristics

• Diction – the words the author chooses, the sounds they create, the rhythms they reflect, the images they convey

• Syntax – the manner in which the author uses words in phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs to achieve particular effects

• Dialogue – the manner in which the author conveys the conversations that occur within or between characters

• Dialect – the speech patterns that the characters or groups of characters reflect

• Tone – the attitude a character conveys through the manner in which he/she speaks

• Irony – the manner in which the author illustrates the difference between what is expected and what actually occurs

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STYLE – Questions to Ask

• What is the author’s diction? Is the language abstract/concrete, formal/informal, literal/figurative?

• What use does the author make of imagery, figures of speech, sound patterns, repetition, allusion, etc?

• What is the grammatical structure, length, and style of the author’s phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs?

• What is the author’s tone toward the characters?• If the author employs irony, is if verbal, situational,

dramatic?• Does the author’s style, taken as a whole, distinguish

his/her writing from other authors?

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TIPS FOR ANALYZING A STORY

• Read any and all relevant background information on the story or the story’s author before reading the story

• Read the story straight through the first time for enjoyment

• Mark or make notes on the story as you read it, paying particular attention to elements of the short story

• Make short notes or symbols in the story to mark passages/sections/words you don’t’ understand

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TIPS FOR ANALYZING A STORY

• Reread the story, paying particular attention to the opening section of the story and to the questions you created in the first reading

• The second reading can be done by skimming, completely rereading, reading topic sentences, etc.

• Take notes on the story during the second reading; use whatever note-taking process that helps you to organize your thoughts about the story

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TIPS FOR ANALYZING A STORY

• In your notes, make general observations, offer opinions, form judgments about the story

• In your notes, write a short character synopsis of each important character

• In your notes, “plot the plot”• In your notes, list the conflict or conflicts in the

story• In your notes, provide a short synopsis of the

setting

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TIPS FOR ANALYZING A STORY

• In your notes, record the theme(s) of the story• In your notes, provide a short list of the qualities

of the author’s style seen in the story• After completing your notes, review them• After reviewing your notes, write down any

questions about the story that remain unanswered through your two readings and your note-taking