LESSON 3- Elements of a Short Story

What Is a Short Story?

A short story is a work of short, narrative prose that is usually centered around one
single event. It is limited in scope and has an introduction, body and conclusion.
Although a short story has much in common with a novel, it is written with much
greater precision. Any time you are asked to write an essay that is based on a piece
of fiction, the following guide and questions may help you.

Once you examine these narrative elements, you want to look for PATTERNS, or
MOTIFS, in the work. Pay attention to words & images that are related

1.Setting

Setting is a description of where and when the story takes place. In a short story
there are fewer settings compared to a novel. The time is more limited. Ask yourself
the following questions:

 How is the setting created? Consider geography, weather, time of day, social
conditions, etc.
 What role does setting play in the story? Is it an important part of the plot or
theme? Or is it just a backdrop against which the action takes place?
 Does the setting change? If so, how?

Study the time period, which is also part of the setting, and ask yourself the
following:

 When was the story written?

 Does it take place in the present, the past, or the future?
 How does the time period affect the language, atmosphere or social
circumstances of the short story?

2.Characterization

Characterization deals with how the characters in the story are described. In short
stories there are usually fewer characters compared to a novel. They usually focus
on one central character or protagonist. Ask yourself the following:

 Who is the main character?

 Who or what is the antagonist?
 Are the main character and other characters described through dialogue – by
the way they speak (dialect or slang for instance)?
  Has the author described the characters by physical appearance, thoughts and
feelings, and interaction (the way they act towards others)?
 Are they static characters who do not change?
 Are they dynamic characters who change?
 What type of characters are they? What qualities stand out? Are they
stereotypes?
 Are the characters believable?
 Do the characters symbolize something?

3.Plot and Structure

The plot is the main sequence of events that make up the story. In short stories the
plot is usually centered around one experience or significant moment. Consider the
following questions:

 What is the most important event?

 How is the plot structured? Is it linear, chronological or does it move around?
 Is the plot believable?

4.CONFLICT: Conflict or tension is usually the heart of the short story and is related
to the main character. In a short story there is usually one main struggle.

 How would you describe the main conflict?

 Is it an internal conflict within the character?
 Is it an external conflict caused by the surroundings or environment the main
character finds himself/herself in?

5.CLIMAX: The climax is the point of greatest tension or intensity in the short story.
It can also be the point where events take a major turn as the story races towards its
conclusion.

 When does the climax take place?

6.RESOLUTION: The resolution is the end of the story. It focuses on how the
conflict is ultimately resolved.

 Are the closing sentences significant? How does the end relate or connect to
the opening?

7.Narrator and Point of View

The narrator is the person telling the story. Consider this question: Are the narrator
and the main character the same?
By point of view we mean from whose eyes the story is being told. Short stories tend
to be told through one character’s point of view. The following are important
questions to consider:

 Who is the narrator or speaker in the story?

 Does the author speak through the main character?
 Is the story written in the first person “I” point of view?
 Is the story written in a detached third person “he/she” point of view?
 Is there an “all-knowing” third person who can reveal what all the characters
are thinking and doing at all times and in all places?
 Is the narrator trustworthy?

8.Style

The author’s style has to do with the his or her vocabulary, use of imagery, tone, or
the feeling of the story. It has to do with the author’s attitude toward the subject. In
some short stories the tone can be ironic, humorous, cold, or dramatic.

 Is the author’s language full of figurative language: metaphors, symbols,

personification, etc.?
 What images are used?
 What is the tone or mood of the story?

9.Theme

The theme is built on a topic, such as death, hope, the American dream, etc. and
how the topic affects the human condition, society, or life. As a reader, focus on
what the story is revealing about the topic. The theme should be expressed as a
statement, a general observation about human nature.

To help you write a thematic statement, consider the following:

 What is the story about – its general topic(s) (IE: money, wealth, death, etc.)?
 How is the topic developed? (Consider how characters change, symbols,
climax, etc.)
 Do you notice any patterns in imagery, diction, etc.?
 Does the title have any significance?
 Does the narrator or character include any statement(s) that reveals a theme or
observation?
What a theme is NOT:

 a word or phrase (topic or subject)

 a command
 a judgment

To help you construct the thematic statement, make a list of important images,
topics, etc. found in the text. Try to create a statement that includes the words in
your list.

The EXPOSITION will often have information about events that happened before
the story began. The EXPOSITION is often the very first part of the PLOT.

Activity 1.

What is time and place of the action?

• setting
• plot
• character
• conflict
• narrator

2. What is a speaker or character who tells a story?

• setting
• plot
• character
• conflict
• narrator

3. What is a person or an animal who takes part in the action of a literary work?

• setting
• plot
• character
• conflict
• narrator

4. What is the struggle between opposing forces?

• setting
• plot
• character
• conflict
• narrator
5. What is the sequence of events involving characters and a central conflict?

• setting
• plot
• character
• conflict
• narrator

6. Person against person, person against nature, person against society and person against

self are examples of different types of _____________.

• setting
• plot
• character
• conflict
• narrator

7. The main character of a literary work is called the _________________.

• protagonist
• antagonist
• round character
• flat character
• dynamic character

8. The character who opposes the main character is called the ________________.

• protagonist
• antagonist
• round character
• flat character
• dynamic character

9. What type of character shows many different traits and faults as well as virtues?

• simple
• dynamic
• static
• round
• flat

10. What type of character does not change?

• simple
• dynamic
• static
• round
 • flat

11. What type of character is seen only one way?

• strange
• dynamic
• static
• flat
• round

12. What type of character develops and grows during the course of the story?

• strange
• dynamic
• static
• flat
• round

13. The highest point of interest or suspense

• climax
• rising action
• falling action
• resolution
• exposition

14. This is the beginning of the plot with an introduction of setting, characters and the basic

situation.

• exposition
• resolution
• falling action
• rising action
• denouement

15. All events leading up to the climax

• exposition
• resolution
• falling action
• rising action
• climax

16. All events after the climax and leading to the resolution

• exposition
• resolution
• falling action
• rising action
• climax
 17. End of the central conflict

• climax
• rising action
• falling action
• resolution
• denouement

18. Any events occurring after the resolution

• climax
• falling action
• resolution
• exposition
• denouement

19. Narrator is the same as point of view and can be told in first person or third person

narration

• True
• False

20. Setting can include historical periods, future, past, present, geographical locations and

environments

• True
• False

ACTIVITY 2. Read and figure out.

The Story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears
By : Robert Southey

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went for a
walk in the forest. Pretty soon, she came upon a house. She knocked and,
when no one answered, she walked right in.
At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks
was hungry. She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.
"This porridge is too hot!" she exclaimed.
So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.
"This porridge is too cold," she said.
So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge.
"Ahhh, this porridge is just right," she said happily and she ate it all up.
After she'd eaten the three bears' breakfasts, she decided she was feeling
a little tired. So, she walked into the living room where she saw three
chairs. Goldilocks sat in the first chair to rest.
"This chair is too big!" she exclaimed.
So she sat in the second chair.
"This chair is too big, too!" she whined.
So she tried the last and smallest chair.
"Ahhh, this chair is just right," she sighed. But just as she settled down
into the chair to rest, it broke into pieces!

Goldilocks was very tired by this time, she went

upstairs to the bedroom. She lay down in the first bed, but it was too hard.
Then she lay in the second bed, but it was too soft. Then she lay down in
the third bed and it was just right. Goldilocks fell asleep.
As she was sleeping, the three bears came home.
"Someone's been eating my porridge," growled the Papa bear.
"Someone's been eating my porridge," said the Mama bear.
"Someone's been eating my porridge and they ate it all up!" cried the Baby
bear.
"Someone's been sitting in my chair," growled the Papa bear.
"Someone's been sitting in my chair," said the Mama bear.
"Someone's been sitting in my chair and they've broken it to pieces," cried
the Baby bear.
They decided to look around some more and when they got upstairs to the
bedroom, Papa bear growled,
"Someone's been sleeping in my bed.”
"Someone's been sleeping in my bed, too" said the Mama bear.
"Someone's been sleeping in my bed and she's still there!" exclaimed the
Baby bear.
Just then, Goldilocks woke up. She saw the three bears. She screamed,
"Help!" And she jumped up and ran out of the room. Goldilocks ran down
the stairs, opened the door, and ran away into the forest. She never
returned to the home of the three bears.

1. Identify the elements of the story.

2. What have you learned from the story?