Elements of

Short Stories
PowerPoint adapted from:
 Setting
The setting is the place where the story takes
place. Setting includes the following:
The geographical location
For example: London, Cairo, Halifax, Vancouver
The time period
For example: 1865, during WWII, today
The socio-economic characteristics of the location
For example: wealthy suburbs
The specific building, room etc.
For example: a prep school, a log cabin, a bus, a military base
 Setting
Can be used to tell readers about the characters:
That evening T.J. smelled the air, his
nostrils dilating with the odor of the
earth under his feet. Its spring, he
said, and there was gladness rising in his
voice that filled us all with the same
feeling.
Its mighty late for it, but its
spring We were all sniffing at

the air, too, trying to smell it the way that T.J. did, and I can still
remember the sweet odor of the earth under our feet. It was the
first time in my life that spring and spring earth had meant
anything to me.
Antaeus by Borden Deal
 Setting
Can be used to set the atmosphere for the story:

During the whole of a dull, dark,

and soundless day in the autumn
of the year, when the clouds hung
oppressively low in the heavens, I
had been passing alone, on
horseback, though a singularly
dreary tract of country.
The Fall of the House of Usher
by Edgar Allan Poe
 Characters
The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as people)
appearing in a literary work.
Round Characters are convincing, true to life.
Have many different and sometimes even
contradictory personality traits.
Dynamic Characters undergo some type of
change or development in story, often because of
something that happens to them
Flat Characters are stereotyped, shallow, and
often symbolic. Have only one or two personality
traits
Static Characters do not change in the course of
the story
 Characters
Protagonist: The main
character in a literary work
(for instance, Charles in
Here There Be Tygers or
Cinderella or Snow White in
the fairy tales named for
their characters)

Antagonist: The character who opposes the protagonist (for

instance, Miss Bird in Here There Be Tygers or the wicked
stepmothers in the fairy tales)
 Methods of Characterization
Direct Characterization: The author develops the personality of a
character by direct statements.
Jack had been in basic training in
Florida and Dottie was there on
vacation with her parents. Theyd
met on the beach and struck up a
conversation. Dottie was the talker,
the outgoing one the extrovert.
Jack was too shy around girls to say
much at all.
Furlough 1944 by Harry Mazer
 Methods of Characterization

Indirect Characterization: Revealing a

characters personality through:
The characters thoughts, words, and
actions
The comments of other characters
The characters physical appearance
Indirect Characterization
through Thoughts

Moonbeam closed his eyes and

pretended to sleep the rest of the way to
Bamfield. He couldnt believe what he had
gotten himself into. How had this
happened? Hed never held a gun in his
life, much less gone hunting for animals.
Moonbeam Dawson and the Killer Bear
by Jean Okimoto
 Indirect Characterization
through Words
It was Kenny Griffen, smiling
complacently. Miss Bird sent me after you
cause you been gone six years. Youre in
trouble yer constipated! Kenny chortled
gleefully. Waitll I tell Caaathy!
Here There Be Tygers by Stephen King
Indirect Characterization
through Actions
The boy held his breath; he
wondered whether his father
would hear his heart beating
Through a crack in the counter
he could see his father where he
stood, one hand held to his high
stiff collar
I Spy by Graham Greene
 Indirect Characterization
through Appearance
Miss Kinney was young and blonde and bouncy and had a
boyfriend who picked her up after school in a blue
Camaro.
Here There Be Tygers by Stephen King
 Plot

Plot is how the author arranges events to develop his/her basic idea.
It is the sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned,
logical series of events having a beginning, middle and end.
 Plot Components
Introduction: The start of the story, the situation before the
action starts
Rising Action: The series of conflicts and crisis in the story
that lead to the climax
Climax / Turning Point: The most intense moment either
mentally or in action the reader wonders what will
happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
Falling Action: The events and complications begin to
resolve themselves. (The events between the climax and
the resolution)
Resolution: The conclusion, the untangling of events in the
story
 Plot: Conflict
Conflict is the dramatic
struggle between two
forces in a story. Without
conflict there is no plot.
 Plot: Types of Conflict
Interpersonal Conflict Internal Conflict
Human vs. Human Human vs. Self
Human vs. Nature
Human vs. Society
 Point of View
The angle or perspective from which the
story is told
Who is telling the story?
For instance, is it a player on the home team or
someone watching the game?
How do we know what is happening?
For instance, does a character tell us?
 First Person Point of View
Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters,
using the first person pronoun I.
The thousands of injuries of Fortunato I had borne
as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I
vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature
of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I give
utterance to a threat.
The Cask of Amontillado
by Edgar Allan Poe
 Innocent Eye: The story is told through the
eyes of a child (his/her judgment being
different from that of an adult).

Stream of Consciousness: The story is told

so that the reader feels as if they are inside
the head of one character and knows all
their thoughts and reactions.
 Second Person Point of View
The main character in the story is referred to using
the second person pronoun you.
Rubbing your aching head, you take in the scene around you. Nearby
you see a narrow dirt road, and beyond it a fast-running brook. The
road disappears into dense woods on either side of the field.
You hear the sound of hooves, and a strange clanking noise. Someone
is coming! You duck behind a tree as two men on horseback ride
toward you. They are wearing shining metal armor. One of them
carries a white banner with a golden lion on it. They must be knights!
You watch as they rein in their horses and dismount just a few yards
away.
Choose Your Own Adventure : The Forbidden Castle by Edward Packard
 Third Person Point of View
The story is told using a narrator who is located outside of
the action of the story and uses third person pronouns
such as he, she, his, her, they etc.

Third Person Point of View can be broken up into three

different types:
Omniscient
Limited Omniscient
Objective
 Omniscient Point of View
The narrator has the power to show the reader
what is happening though a number of
characters eyes.
Myop carried a short knobby stick. She struck out at
random at chickens she liked, and worked out the beat of
a song on the fence around the pigpen. She felt light and
good in the warm sun. She was ten, and nothing existed
for her but her son, the stick she clutched in her dark
brown hand, and the tat-de-ta-ta-ta of
accompaniment.
The Flowers by Alice Walker
 Limited Omniscient Point of
View
Third person, told from the viewpoint of a character in
the story.
They all laughed, and while they were laughing, the
quiet boy moved his bare foot on the sidewalk and
merely touched, brushed against a number of red ants
that were scurrying about on the sidewalk. Secretly his
eyes shining, while his parents chatted with the old
man, he saw the ants hesitate, quiver, and lie still on
the cement. He sensed they were cold now.
Fever Dream by Ray Bradbury
 Objective Point of View
Third person, told as if from a camera that
follows the characters. Only what is said and done
is recorded.
Jennifer stirred in bed. The cotton sheet clung to her
body as she rolled to face the nightstand. With eyes half
open, she reached over to switch the alarm clock off when
the man in the shadows reached out and grabbed her arm.
Her scream pierced the quiet night and died abruptly as
she was forced violently back into the dark oblivion.
Objective Point of View writesville.com
 Theme
Theme is the central idea or central
message of the story. It usually contains
some insight into the human condition
telling something about humans and life.
The theme can be stated directly or implied
by the events and actions in the story.
 Types of Irony
Verbal Irony: This is the contrast between what is
said and what is meant. In other words: sarcasm.
Dramatic Irony: This is the contrast between what
the character thinks to be true and what we (the
reader) know to be true. Sometimes as we read we
are placed in the position of knowing more than what
one character knows. Because we know something
the character does not, we read to discover how the
character will react when he or she learns the truth of
the situation.
Situational Irony: This is the most common in
literature. It is the contrast between what happens
and what was expected (or what would seem
appropriate). Because it emerges from the events
and circumstances of a story it is often more subtle
and effective than verbal or dramatic irony.
 Symbolism
A symbol represents an idea, quality, or concept
larger than itself.
A journey can A lion can be
symbolize life a symbol of courage.

A red rose
Water may represent can
cleanliness represent
and renewal love.
 Flashback

This is a writers technique in which the author

interrupts the plot of the story to recreate an
incident of an earlier time (goes back in time; like
giving the reader a memory). This device is often
used to provide additional information to the reader.
Foreshadowing
This is a writers
technique in which the
author provides clues or
hints as to what is going
to happen later in the
story. Its like the music
in a scary movie when
we know that something
bad is about to happen.