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Document Sample
The Short Story
Literary Elements
What is a short story?
What elements make it a distinct genre?
Story ‘Parts’
Setting
Characters
Plot
Conflict
Theme
Literary Techniques
Figurative Language
Setting
Time and place are where the action occurs
Details that describe:
Furniture
Scenery
Customs
Transportation
Clothing
Dialects
Weather
Time of day
Time of year
Elements of a Setting
Location Life Era
Place Time
Physical Setting History
Atmosphere Day
Mood Feelings
Word
Choice
Use as activator to activate prior know ledge. Write
Weather the w eb on the board or overhead and students
cre ate one at their seats. Then as class share and fill
in.
The Functions of a Setting
To create a mood or We left the home place behind, mile
by slow mile, heading for the mountains,
atmosphere across the prairie where the wind blew
To show a reader a forever.
At first there were four of us with
different way of life one horse wagon and its skimpy load. Pa
To make action seem and I walked, because I was a big boy of
eleven. My two little sisters romped and
more real trotted until they got tired and had to be
To be the source of boosted up to the wagon bed.
That was no covered Conestoga, like
conflict or struggle Pa’s folks came West in, but just an old
To symbolize an idea farm wagon, drawn by one weary horse,
creaking and rumbling westward to the
mountains, toward the little woods town
where Pa thought he had an old uncle who
owned a little two-bit sawmill.
Taken from “The Day the Sun Came Out” by D. Johnson
Types of Characters
People or animals
Major characters
Minor characters
Round characters / 3 dimensional
Flat characters / 1 dimensional
Characterization
A writer reveals what a character is like and
how the character changes throughout the
story.
Two primary methods of characterization:
Direct- writer tells what the character is like
Indirect- writer shows what a character is like
by describing what the character looks like, by
telling what the character says and does, and by
what other characters say about and do in
response to the character.
Direct Characterization
…And I don’t play the dozens or believe
in standing around with somebody in my face
doing a lot of talking. I much rather just
knock you down and take my chances even if
I’m a little girl with skinny arms and a
squeaky voice, which is how I got the name
Squeaky.
From “Raymond’s Run” by T. Bambara
Indirect Characterization
The old man bowed to all of us
in the room. Then he removed his
hat and gloves, slowly and carefully.
Chaplin once did that in a picture, in
a bank--he was the janitor.
From “Gentleman of Rio en Medio” by J. Sedillo
Elements of Character
Fully
Relatives Friends
Developed
Main Minor
Not Fully
Protagonist Character Developed
Flat Co-Main Antagonist
Enemy
Factors in Analyzing Characters
Physical appearance of character
Personality
Background/personal history
Motivation
Relationships
Conflict
Does character change?
Plot
Plot is what happens and how it
happens in a narrative. A narrative is
any work that tells a story, such as a
short story, a novel, a drama, or a
narrative poem. We analyze how a
plot unfolds using the basic plot
pyramid structure.
Parts of a Plot
Introduction / Exposition – contains the setting,
creates the tone and presents characters
Inciting incident – event that gives rise to conflict
Rising Action - events that occur as result of central
conflict
Climax- highest point of interest or suspense of
story
Falling Action – Events leading up to the resolution
Resolution- when conflict ends
Denouement- when characters go back to their life
before the conflict
Diagram of Plot
Climax
Introduction Resolution / Denouement
Inciting incident/
Opening situation
Special Techniques of Plot
Suspense- excitement or tension
Foreshadowing- hint or clue about what will
happen in story
Flashback- interrupts the normal sequence of
events to tell about something that happened
in the past
Irony – the contrast between what is
expected or what appears to be and what
actually is.
Conflict
Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces
Every plot must contain some kind of conflict
Stories can have more than one conflict
Conflicts can be external or internal
External conflict- outside force may be person,
group, animal, nature, or a nonhuman obstacle
Internal conflict- takes place in a character’s mind
Theme
A central message, concern, or insight into
life expressed through a literary work
Can be expressed by the way the story makes
us feel
May be stated directly through the thoughts
and conversations of characters
May be suggested through characters ( What
does the character learn?)
May be suggested through actions or events.
Examples of Theme
Loss of Innocence Love Conquers All
The Noble Sacrifice Revenge Ruins
Compromise saves Relationships
Fall From Grace
Good vs Evil
Crime Doesn’t Pay Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Figurative Language
Any language that goes beyond the literal meaning
of words in order to furnish new effects or fresh
insights into an idea or subject.
IMAGERY
SIMILE
METAPHOR
ALLITERATION
PERSONIFICATION
ONOMATOPOEIA
HYPERBOLE
Seven Crucial Questions
. . . to get you started
1. What is the setting/locale?
2. Who is the protagonist? antagonist? Describe
character relationships.
3. What is the central conflict/problem the protagonist
is facing? What type of conflict is it and how is this
evident?
4. What are the seven stages of the plot pyramid?
5. What is the mood of the story and how is this evident?
6. What figurative language and/or literary techniques
are used?
7. What is the theme/message of the story?
