Elements of a Prose

The elements that make up a short story are:

Characters
Setting
Plot
Point of View
Theme
Mood

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 Short Story
• A brief literary piece written in
prose
• A fiction relating human
experiences
• An author’s rendering of reality

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 Holy Bible
• The best source of story
• A classic piece of literature
because of its enduring
stories of humanity

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 Elements of a Prose
The elements that make up a short story are:
Characters
Setting
Plot
Point of View
Theme
Mood

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 Character
• A character is a person, or
sometimes an animal, who takes part
in the action of a short story or other
literary work.
Protagonist – main character
Antagonist – villain
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 Setting
• Setting is the time and
place that a story occurs.
• Authors often use
descriptions of
landscape, scenery,
buildings, seasons or
weather to provide a
strong sense of setting.

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 Plot
• The order of succession of events
 chronological – events are in order
(present-future-end)
Flash-back – recalling of events (present-
past-present- end)
Stream of consciousness – story takes place
in the mind of the character

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 Plot
• Plot is a pattern of events that develop
from the interactions between
characters.
• A plot is a series of events and
character actions that relate to the
central conflict.
• There are 5 elements of plot:
 Exposition
 Rising Action
 Climax
 Falling Action
 Conclusion
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 Plot Diagram
5 Elements of Plot

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 Exposition
• The narrative that provides the essential details
• The start or introduction of the story.
• The background information that the reader must
have in order to understand the story.
• This is where characters and setting are introduced.

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 Rising Action
• All of the events that take place leading up to
the climax.
• This is where the reader is introduced to the
conflict.

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 Conflict
• Problem/s or twist that a character encounters
in a story.
• a struggle between two people or things in a
short story.
Conflicts can be:
1. External – conflict with others and with
nature
2. Internal – conflict within themselves
 Conflict
• The main character may struggle:
Man vs. man - against another important
character
Man vs. nature - against the forces of
nature
Man vs. himself - against something inside
himself or herself (feelings, emotions,
illness).

Without the conflict there would be no story

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 Climax
• The apex or highest point of the story
• The most exciting part of the story.
• The turning point or make or break on the
story, where the character must make a
decision that will determine the ending.
• Here the story is turned in a different
direction, toward the conclusion.
Foreshadowing – the author gives hints or
clues of what will happen
 Falling Action
• The immediate reaction to the climax.
• All the actions that occur after the climax
and before the conclusion of the story.

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 Resolution
• The ending of the story or resolving of
conflict
• “Denouement” French word meaning
unravelling.
Happy ending – all conflicts are resolved
Tragic – unhappy ending or unexpected
event
Open-ended – story hangs in the
balance
 Point of View
• Relates to the person telling the story
 First person p.o.v. – the narrator is a
character in the story and tells the
story.
Third person p.o.v – the narrator is not
a character in the story and refers to
the character by name or as he or she.
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 Theme
• Theme is the meaning behind events and
characters’ actions in a story.
• The theme is the central idea, message, or
purpose in a short story.
• A theme can be expressed as a general
statement about people or life.
• It is NOT plot summary.
• It can be either directly or indirectly stated by
the author. Most likely indirectly.
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 Mood
• also known as atmosphere—is the overall feeling for
the audience an author creates in his writing.
• The feeling the author creates using the story details,
setting or images.
• How the story feels to the reader
• When you read a text and you have a particular
feeling that you associate with the descriptive
language, you are experiencing the mood of a story.

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