Subject Code English 1 Communication Arts I and Philippine Literature in English

Module Code 5.0 Introduction to the Short Story

Lesson Code 5.1 Elements of a Short Story
Time Limit 30 minutes

Components Time Allotment Actual Time Allotted

Target 1 minute

Hook 3 minutes

Ignite 14 minutes

Navigate 9 minutes

Knot 3 minutes

STUDENT’S COPY

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 TARGET
By the end of this module, the learner should be able to:
 define short story as a literary genre;
 narrate an oldest existing tale in literature; and
 identify and explain the different elements of short story.

HOOK
Do you know that the short stories we love to read today have had an interesting origin? Besides
Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe, have you heard the story of a king who married a young
woman every night and chopped off her head the following day? The king was believed to have killed
3000 women in his life. Then one day, Scheherazade, a beautiful and young lady, volunteered to spend
a night with the king. Despite her father’s disapproval, she still went to the king and spent all night
telling him a story. At the end of the night, the wise Scheherazade would stop at the story’s climax and
promised to continue the following night. Then the next night, after she’s done with the story, she
would begin with another one and stop at the most exciting part. Because the king wanted to hear the
rest of the story, he would postpone her beheading. Scheherazade did this for one thousand and one
nights until the king realized that he had fallen in love with her. She told her 1,001 stories. Those
stories are one of the reasons why we have great compilations of modern short stories.

IGNITE
DEFINITION OF SHORT STORY
A short story is a brief fictional narrative, a series of imaginary events that happen to imaginary
people, often involving one connected episode (Perez, 2001). Its most important aspects are character,
plot, point of view, and dialogue.

ELEMENTS OF A SHORT STORY

CHARACTERS
Can you imagine an action taking place inside a classroom with only tables and chairs? It is
impossible unless nature intervenes. When students enter the classroom, can you imagine an action
taking place? Yes, because people can make actions. People or human beings, even animals and other
living figures that act as the main actors in the story are called characters. In modern short story, the
main characters are called protagonist and antagonist. They are no longer called heroes and villains.
The protagonist is endowed with good qualities and is defined as an admirable character who embodies
certain human ideals. His opposite is the antagonist.

On the other hand, a character may either be flat (static) or round (dynamic). Flat or static
characters usually have only one outstanding trait or feature, or at most a few distinguishing marks.
They stay the same throughout the story. Round or dynamic characters are portrayed in greater depth
and in more generous detail.

Character causes the plot to move forward. Knowing the characters thoroughly, especially they
react to conflict is essential in understanding the short story.

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PLOT
Plot is defined as the arrangement of events and actions in a story to convey a theme.
Traditionally, plot required a causal connection between events as well as a thematic connection, but
recent developments in fiction have loosen to require only thematic connection. Plots that demonstrate
events causally related are called conventional plots which can be illustrated by Freytag’s pyramid.

Image from: https://researchgatesite.blogspot.com/2019/03/freytags-pyramid.html

There is no story without conflict. All stories are told through a problem which characters must
overcome. Conflict may be either internal or external. Internal conflict explores a struggle in the main
character’s mind. In an external conflict, the character struggles against an outside force, such as
another character, society, or nature.

POINT OF VIEW
Point of view is determined when the author decides which character is going tell the story. . It
establishes a consistent perspective on the characters and their actions as the narrative unfolds.

KINDS of NARRATORS
Narrators Functions
First Person The narrator, using the first person pronouns “I”
and “me”, tells the story as he or she sees it, often
sharing in the action.
Limited third person The narrator, from outside the story, uses “he”
and “she” and cannot see into characters’ minds.
Omniscient third person The narrator uses “he” and “she” and is outside
the story but knows the thoughts of characters.

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DIALOGUE
Dialogue generally refers to conversation between two or more characters in a story. Good
dialogue sounds suitable for the personality and background of the characters who are speaking, thereby
helping readers understand the characters’ personalities, attitudes, and feelings.

Dialogue helps to make the characters convincing and moves the plot forward.

OTHER ASPECTS TO CONSIDER IN UNDERSTANDING SHORT STORY

SYMBOLS — A symbol can be any object or action that is used to evoke ideas or emotions that go
beyond its obvious surface meaning. It is a statement within a statement. It is one of the chief devices
for bridging the gap between the writer’s vision and the reader’s. Say for example, a ladder is used to
symbolize the connection of heaven and earth. A dove is also used to symbolize peace and tranquility.

THEME — The theme of the story is whatever general idea, thesis, or insight the entire story reveals. It
is the generalization or abstraction from the story. It is the unifying idea that brings to life all the other
elements of fiction. It is usually the statement the author wishes to say about the topic. The most
common topic in literature is love. So the theme can be “love entails sacrifice”, “love can make all
things possible”, or “love always triumph over difficulties”.

SETTING — Setting is an important aspect of almost all stories. All stories like all individuals, are
part of their time, place and culture, and are conditioned by them.

TONE — The tone of the story may communicate amusement, anger, affection, sorrow, or contempt.
Tone implies the feelings of the author. Those feelings maybe similar to feelings expressed by the
narrator of the story.

NAVIGATE
GRADED FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Let’s Think About the Elements of a Short Story
Directions: After reading and studying the elements of short story discussed above, analyze each
sentence. Write TRUE if the statement is correct, FALSE if the statement is incorrect, or NOT GIVEN
if the statement is not mentioned in the text. (10/10 points, Passing Score: 6 points)

1. The series of events presented in a short story is all imaginary.

2. In a short story, other creatures like animals can be considered as characters.
3. The main character in a modern short story is called hero because he is endowed with good
qualities.
4. A flat character does not change throughout the story.
5. Modern short story requires thematic connection in the series of events.
6. The conventional plot follows the exposition-rising action-climax-falling-action-conclusion
format.
7. Conflict is no longer a requirement in a modern short story.
8. The omniscient narrator is like God because he knows even the innermost thoughts and feelings
of every character.
9. Characters reveal themselves through their dialogues.
10. The theme is usually the lesson or moral of the story.
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 KNOT
A short story is a fictional narrative prose. You already know that a fiction is any imaginative re-
creation and reconstruction of life. In reading and understanding a short story, it may be useful to ask
yourself these questions:
a. What is the tone of the story? By what means and how effectively is it communicated?
b. What is the point of view?
c. Does the story show us unique and individual scenes, events, and characters?
d. Are there evident symbols? If so, do they direct us to the story’s central theme, or do they
distract us from it?
e. How appropriate to the theme of the story, and to its subject matter, are its tone and style?

References:

1. Tan, Arsenia B. (1996). Introduction to Literature. Academic Publishing.

2. Toralba-Perez, Amy. (2001). Creative Writing: What You Need to Know. Omniscience Publishing
Incorporated, Inc. Quezon City.

Prepared by: Reviewed by:

MARICOR A. BARBONIO ABEGAIL E. PARIENTE

Special Science Teacher IV Special Science Teacher III
Bicol Region Campus Cordillera Administrative Region Campus

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