Short Story XII English No: 2019E1T1-01

Short Story
What is a Short Story?

A short story is a work of fiction that develops a single idea. It can be read in one sitting.
Because the story is brief, each detail counts. Some short stories are concerned with
adventure. Others focus on the workings of people's minds. Some stories are closer to
reality the others.

The history of the short story

The telling of tales is not new. Myths and legends were told more than 10,000 years ago.
Over 2,000 years ago, the Bible included stories. Around the 1300's A.D., great
storytellers wrote tales in verse.

The modern short story, however, began only in the 1800's. The writers became
interested in developing this form. The American writer Edgar Allan Poe is often called
"father of the modern short story." Poe stressed that short story writers must select each
detail with great care. Every detail must help create "a certain unique or single effect."

During the 1800's and 1900's, the short story has become one of the most widely read
kinds of literature. Great authors from all over the world have contributed to this form.

The Elements of a Short Story

Plot. The action or events of a story make up its plot. Usually the plot shows how a
conflict, or struggle, develops and is settled. The conflict and the events of the plot may
be external. That is, they are outside the main character. They may be internal, or within
the character. In many stories, the plot follows these steps:

Introduction, or Exposition: This first part tells what the reader needs to know. It
states who the characters are. It tells what has happened beforehand and how the action
begins.
Rising Action: In this part, events add complications.
Climax: This is often a turning point in the story. The main character usually makes a
decision or changes in some way.
Falling Action: This part shows the effects of the climax.
Resolution: This last part of the story tells how the struggle ends. It suggests how the
action will affect the characters.

Characters. In a short story the reader gets to know only one or two characters well.
Each writer should clearly suggest a character's motivations, or reasons for acting.

Setting. In some stories, the time and place of the action are of major importance.

Suspense. In any good story, the writer tells just enough to keep the reader wondering
what will come next. Often the reader becomes tense or worried about the next events.
This is especially true when a character's life is in danger. The writer gradually builds
the interest higher and higher. This building-up of interest is called suspense.

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How To Read a Short Story

1. Choose the right time and place to read the story. You should not be interrupted or
distracted. Give yourself a chance to experience and recognize the single effect that the
writer is trying to make.

2. As you read the story enjoy the mood it creates. Let the characters excite or annoy
you. Try to guess what will happen next.

More About the Elements of a Short Story

You have learned about three necessary elements in a short story-characters, plot, and
setting. You have learned that the way the writer develops the plot creates suspense.
Now you will learn more about different types of characters and different types of
conflicts. In addition, you will learn about three other elements you will find in every
story - narrator, point of view, and theme.

Characters. A short story can have as few as one or two characters. Even when it has
more characters, only one or two are important. The important characters are called the
major characters. Everyone else in the story is a minor character.

If a character changes during the story, he or she is called a dynamic character.

Conflict. Almost every plot involves a conflict, or struggle between two forces. Usually,
the introduction in the story lets the reader know what the conflict is. The rising action
shows the struggle becoming more and more intense. Often, at the climax, the main
character makes a decision or discovery that determines how the conflict will end. The
falling action and resolution then show the conflict being settled.

There are several kinds of conflict, and a story may have more than one. The main
character may come into conflict with another character. The main character may
struggle against the forces of nature or society.

These conflicts with forces outside the character are called external conflicts. The main
character may also experience internal conflict, a struggle with opposing feelings.

Narrator. The person telling the story is called the narrator. Often the narrator is a
character in the story. Then the reader learns about the narrator from what he or she does
in the story. Other times the narrator is outside the story, explaining the events. Then the
reader may learn about the narrator from his or her comments on the events.

Point of View. Point of view refers to the way the narrator tells the story. If the narrator
is a character in the story, the story is told in the first-person point of view. The narrator
uses the first-person pronouns I and me. If the narrator is outside the story, the story is
told in the third-person point of view, The narrator uses the third-person pronouns he,
she, and they to talk about the characters. If the narrator can see into all the characters'
minds, then the writer has used the third-person omniscient point of view. If the narrator

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 Short Story XII English No: 2019E1T1-01

is limited to understanding only one character's thoughts, then the writer has used the
third-person limited point of view.

Theme. In every story, a writer expresses some opinion or shows a concern for some
topic. The idea or concern that the writer presents in a short story is its theme. Often a
story may have more than one theme. Different readers may see different themes.
Usually, it is not difficult to identify one or more of the themes of a story. Ask yourself
why the writer included the descriptions and events he or she chose. Remember that
every detail in a short story is there for a reason. Also, it is helpful to compare and
contrast stories. The differences between two stories point out the differences in themes.

What Is Nonfiction? Consider the Unseen ESSAY in your EXAM

In fiction, such as myths and short stories, the subject matter is imaginary. In
nonfiction, the subject matter is factual. The writer of nonfiction writes about actual
people, places, and things.

There are two basic approaches to the subject matter. The writer can try to report facts
with as few personal opinions as possible. Or, the writer can present his or her
personal opinions about some facts. Often, nonfiction writing falls somewhere
between these two approaches. It is impossible to leave out opinions altogether. After
all, the the writer must begin by deciding which facts to include. These decisions are
opinions. A careful reader must keep this in mind when reading nonfiction.

Here are the forms of nonfiction.

A diary is the day-by-day record a person keeps of his or her own activities and
thoughts. It is meant for the writer alone.

An autobiography is the story of a person's own life. Usually, the writer wants to
share what he or she learned from the events.

A biography is the story of another person's life. The writer bases the report on
records of what the person did and said.

A personal recollection, like an autobiography, is written about a person's own life.

However, it concentrates on one event.

The History of Nonfiction

As long as writing has existed, nonfiction has existed. The kinds of nonfiction,
though, have changed and developed over the years.

The first biographies, for example, were written to glorify heroes at leaders. These
accounts told only the subject's good acts. By the 1800's. However, biographers were
beginning to include the subject's weaknesses, also. The first great modern biography
was by James Boswell, the English writer. He wrote The Life of Johnson about his
friend Samuel Johnson, writer of one of the earliest English dictionaries. Modern

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biographies try to be true to the subject's personality and history. They usually are
researched carefully and try to be objective.

The Elements of Nonfiction

Characters, Plot, and Setting.

Like fiction, nonfiction has characters, plot, and setting. However, these elements are
real, not made up. The main character in an autobiography or biography is called the
subject. The subject's words, thoughts, and actions are presented.

Purpose.

Different types of nonfiction have different purposes. Biographies and

autobiographies, for example, have the purpose of informing the reader. They use
explanatory, descriptive, and narrative paragraphs. Other types of nonfiction, such as
newspaper editorials, are intended to win readers over to a certain opinion. They use
persuasive paragraphs. Sometimes a piece of writing combines purposes. In his diary,
for example, Davy Crockett both explains and persuades.

Tone.

The writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter is called tone. A writer's tone
may be sympathetic, as in "We'll Always Sing His Songs." It may be bitter, as in "The
First Day of the War." It may be comic, hopeful, solemn, or anything the writer likes.

How to read nonfiction

1. As you read, try to separate facts from opinions. Keep in mind that the writer has
chosen facts that present a certain picture of the subject. Think about what might be
missing as well as what is there.

2. Think about the writer's purpose. What is he or she trying to explain? Or is the
writer trying to win you over to his or her opinion of an action or a person? You can
appreciate how well a writer says something, even when you don't agree. In fact, this
ability is an important quality of a critical reader.

3. Be aware of the writer's tone. Frequently a writer reveals much about himself or
herself by the tone he or she uses. This is especially important in autobiographical
writing.

Best Wishes,

12 English – Reading & Literature

Happy Academic Year- 2019

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