Part 4:

!
THE ELEMENTS
OF A SHORT STORY
What makes authors such remarkable short story writers? They are true masters at
combining the five key elements that goes into every great short story:

Plot, Character, Setting, Point of View, and Theme

 1
A plot is a series of events and
character actions that relate to
the central conflict.
The opening section is the Exposition
followed by the complications which
leads to a conflict until it reaches
climax. After the climax comes the
falling action and it ends with the
resolution or denouement.

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 2
A character is a person, or
sometimes even an animal, who
takes part in the action of a story
or a literary work.
Characters in a short story may be classified in
different ways:
1. Role and Importance (Antagonist /
Protagonist);
2. Complexity of Characterization (Flat /
Round); and
3. Role in Advancing the Plot (Dynamic /
Static)
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 3
A setting not only refers to the
place of the story but also to the
specific time, the climactic
actions and even the historical
period during which the story
took place.

Atmosphere is also an aspect of a short

story in which it describes the mood or
feeling that prevails a literary work.

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 4
There is a significant difference
between a Narrator and an Author.
When we speak of a Narrator, point
of view is needed.
There are 5 different kinds of point of
views:
1. First Person
2. Second Person
3. Third Person Objective
4. Third Person Limited
5. Omniscient 5
 5
The theme is the central idea
or belief in a short story.

The plot is considered as the body

of the story and the theme as its
soul.