The Short Story

World Literature Mrs. Theresa Christian

Background:
The short story was first formally defined in

1842 by Edgar Allen Poe as an artistic composition controlled to produce a single unified effect. The short story is, in the broadest sense, a prose narrative that can be told or read in a single sitting. From this point of view, the short story is the oldest and most natural form of prose fiction.

Your Notes:
The short story

was first formally defined in 1842 by Edgar

Allen Poe. produces a single unified effect. Is a prose narrative Can be told or read in a single sitting.

What is a short story?

Prose- Is unmetered, unstructured

writing.Prose is the opposite of Poetry Ex. of prose: Short Story, non-fiction Fiction- A prose story based on the imagination of the author

Elements of a short story:

Plot- A plot is the sequence of events that make

up a story. The action of the plot progresses because of a conflict between opposing forces/ conflicts.
Note:

 Conflict- A struggle between opposing

forces (There are two types)

1. Internal Conflict- A conflict within the

mind of a character; self-imposed challenges Man vs. Self 2. External conflict- A conflict that occurs outside the person. Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature Man vs. Society Man vs. Supernatural / Fate Man vs. Technology

Plot Structure:

Exposition- This is the introduction of story

background information that is needed to properly understand it. The part of the work that introduces the characters, the setting and the basic situation. The inciting incident occurs here. Inciting Incident the initial event which triggers the rest of the story. In other words, what was it that put everything in motion? The conflict is introduced and the situation intensifies through the RISING ACTION. Rising Action- All events that occur before the climax. During this time, the events intensify the conflict. Twists and turns occur in the plot. Climax-The high point of interest or suspense in the story. The conflict is about to be revealed. Falling Action- Events that occur after the climax. This is where the conflict unravels and leads to the resolution. Resolution- The end of the conflict; Things are explained; Often involves a change or an insight. Denouement- Any events that untie or occur after the resolution. (Often stories are not resolved.

Plot Structure:
Climax

Exposition

Resolution / Denouement

Terms:
Inciting incident- The incident

which introduces the central conflict

Setting-The time and place of

action

How the characters are developed:

Characterization- The method (s) used

by an author to create and develop the characters in the story.

Methods of Characterization:

What a character says

The characters actions The characters thoughts

What others say about the character

How the character looks: Appearance

Characterization Continued:
Characters-are the people, animals or

sometimes objects who participate in the action of a literary work. A character may be main or minor, depending on their roles in the short story. Successful characters are not the only individuals but also in some way examples of the universal human conditions. EX. Characters in Little Red Riding Hood: LRRH, The Big Bad Wolf, The

Types of Characters:
Round character-A complicated

character that exhibits numerous qualities or traits. The reader can see many sides of the character. The author develops this type of character in the story.
Flat character- A character that has

only one or two traits. The author does not develop this type of character.
Antagonist Villain / Bad Guy

Narrator/ point of view

Narrator- The character who tells the

story (does not have to be a person)

Point of view:
Point of view- The relationship of the

narrator/ storyteller to the story. The perspective or vantage point from which the story is told
First person The narrator in the story tells

the story directly using I, we, me and / or us. Third person- The narrator speaks in third person using he, she it, and they. Third Person Omniscient The narrator has an all-knowing point of view. The narrator supplies more information about all the characters and events than any one character could know. The narrator knows what every character is thinking.

Terms:
Theme- The main idea or thread that

holds the story together. The central idea in a literary work. Universal Theme- A theme that is timeless. All people can relate to the theme. Example: Love, Hate, Death, Betrayal, free will vs. fate, good vs. evil. Symbol- Anything that stands for or represents something else.

Making a conclusion:
Inference- A reasonable conclusion

drawn from evidence

Denotation- The dictionary definition of

a word
Connotation- A suggested, personal or

implied definition of a word

Foreshadowing- The use of hints or

clues to suggest what will happen later in the story.

Terms:
Mood- The climate or feeling based on

characters, setting, plot, etc.; The atmosphere; the feeling created in the reader by a literary work. Tone- The authors attitude toward the readers and toward the subject. Formal or informal; friendly or distant; personal or impersonal.
Irony- The general name given to literary

techniques that involve surprising, interesting or amusing contradiction.

Local/ Global Color- The use of

Terms:
Anecdote- A brief story about an amusing,

interesting or strange event

Allegory- A form of extended metaphor, in

which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy. Thus, an allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic

Figurative Language:
Metaphor- A comparison of two unlike things

NOT using like or as

Our school is a mighty fortress Her grandmother is a superhero

Simile- A comparison of two unlike things USING

like or as

She is like a rose "Good coffee is like friendship: rich and warm and strong

Personification- Giving human-like characteristics to a non-living/ non-human object.