Elements of a Short Story: Terms

1. Elements of a Short Story: Terms (Review: Plot, Characters) Point of View, Symbol, Irony, Foreshadowing, Flashback

2. Plot • The chain of related events that take place in a story. • The plot of a short story centers around conflict. Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces. • Complications build the reader’s excitement.

3. Plot at a Glance climax falling action rising action resolution exposition

4. Exposition- • gives the background of the story • Rising Action- • introduces complications; builds suspense • Climax- • the turning point of the story • suspense reaches its peak • Falling Action- • the events and complications begin to resolve themselves • Resolution- • the final outcome or untangling of events in the story, usually ties up loose ends

5. Types of Characters • Main or Minor • Protagonist or Antagonist • Round or Flat • Dynamic or Static • *Stereotypes=Stock Characters*

6. Character: • Protagonist: Clearly central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character • Antagonist: The opposer of the main character

7. Indirect physical appearance speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of the character The speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of other characters about that character Direct the narrator’s direct comments about a character Methods of CharacterizationCreating Believable Characters

8. Round vs. Flat Round: • Complex, three dimensional, multiple aspects…a varied, complete, portrait of a person-usually more realistic and believable • May change/grow during the story Flat: • Usually only one or two traits, stereotypical, simplistic characters-often stereotypes • Never change in the story, despite what happens to them

9. Dynamic vs. Static Dynamic: A round character that CHANGES during the course of the story due to some event, obstacle, conflict or plot device (Think: dynamite changes things:) Static: A round or flat character that does not change during the course of the story, despite the conflict or plot… (Think: stays the same)

10. Point of Viewor . . . (Who’s telling this story anyway?) -the vantage point from which the story is told. -determines how much we, the readers, know about the characters.

11. 1st Person • Narrator is a character in the story. • Narrator uses first-person pronouns, I, me, my, we, us, our to refer to himself or herself. • Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of one character and speaks directly to reader.

12. 3rd Person Limited • Narrator does not participate in action of story. • Narrator does not refer to himself or herself. Third person pronouns used (he, she, they, them) • Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of one character, but readers are able to maintain some emotional distance from the character.

13. 3rd Person Omniscient • (All-knowing) • Narrator does not participate in action of story. • Narrator does not refer to himself or herself. Third person pronouns used (he, she, they, them) • Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all/many characters; readers get insight into several characters.

14. What is a symbol?

15. A symbol is a person, a place, an activity, or an object that stands for something beyond itself.

16. Irony The contrast between what is expected…. and what is real

17. 3 Kinds of Irony: • Verbal Irony: Writer says one thing…but means another (Think: sarcasm) • Situational Irony: What we expect to happen is contradictory to what really happens (Think: Surprise!!!) 3. Dramatic Irony: When the audience (reader) knows something important that a character doesn’t (Think: I know Juliet isn’t really dead, but Romeo doesn’t…)

18. Foreshadowing: • Hints or clues of what is to come in a story • It is a method often used to build suspense • Think: shadows of what that will happen that come before it actually happens

19. Flashback: • A reference to an event that takes place prior to the beginning of the story • Think: flashing back to something that happened earlier