The Short Story

A short story is told in prose and is usually no more than ten thousand words long. It has always been a popular form, with roots in parable, fable, fairy tale, myth, and folklore. There is usually great emphasis on realistic detail, with individualized characters and carefully developed plots.

The Four Main Elements of the Short Story Setting There

are three areas included in the term setting: the time period during which the story takes place; the location of the story; and the situation existing at the start of the story. KEY TERMS Time, Place, Situation

Characters The

term characters can be defined as the people who inhabit the story. Character traits are the qualities that a character possesses or develops. Character traits are revealed through what the character says, the actions of the character, and by what other characters say about that person. KEY TERMS What the character says, what the character does, what others say about the character

plot of the story is the chain of events or action of a story. The events of the story can be explained using a plot graph. KEY TERMS Chain of events
Theme The

Plot The

theme of a story is the comment being made by the author. Prejudice leads to hatred is an example of a theme. KEY TERMS Central idea or message