TEACHING SHORT STORIES

DEFINITIONS &
CHARACTERISTICS
COMPONENTS OF SHORT
STORIES
METHODS IN CLASSIFYING
STORIES
APPROACHES AND RESPONSE
STRATEGIES

GERLIE S. CORDOVA STAGES IN WORKING WITH THE

M.Ed-P.E TEXT
What is a short
story?
Why use short
stories in class?
 Definition and Characteristic
A short story……..
-can be read in one sitting (Edgar
Allan Poe “The Philosophy of
Composition” 1846)
-is 1,000 – 20,000 words long has a
limited set of characters, a single
setting, and a simple plot.
 Definition and Characteristic
A short story……..
- A work of prose fiction shorter
than short novel; more restricted in
characters & situations. It usually
concerned with not more than a few
effects, problems and themes.
 Definition and Characteristic
A short story……..
-involves chronology, or sequence
of events, and causation – the fact
that events are somehow connected
with each other, and that one event
may result from another.
 COMPONENTS OF SHORT STORY

CHARACTER
PLOT S

SIX
SYMBOLIS
EMOTION Compo M
nents

POINT OF
THEME
VIEW
 1. PLOT
• Overt plot - not secret, open; one
incident follows the other
chronologically

• Covert plot - not open; some

incidents are implied or told
indirectly by means of flashbacks
& narrative projections in order to
break through the monotony.
 PLOT
• Flashback - An action told by a
character (narrator). The character
may be facing a DILEMMA
(conflict) so he recalls his past
experiences to explain the situation.
• Narrative projection - A character
may look forward to explain the
conflict he is in.
 PLOT
• Protagonist: is the main character
(hero) in a story or drama, not always
have heroic virtues & got always
embody good qualities. (JAN VALJAN
in The Miserables)
• Antagonist : Opposing force(s) or
person(s) ; do not always have to be
good & have positive virtues.(The
detective in The Miserables)
 PLOT
 Foreshadowing - may be a hint about
what will follow or what will happen
next about the characters, the setting
or the general atmosphere of the story.

 Precipitating incident- something

minor happens at the beginning of the
story that accelerates the events in the
story.
 PLOT
 Setting- Place + Time + State of
Mind.

 In Medias Res - where the plot starts

in the middle.
 PLOT
 Irony (from the Ancient Greek
eironeía, meaning hypocrisy,
deception, or feigned ignorance) - is
a literary or rhetorical device, in which
there is an incongruity or discordance
between what one says or does, and
what one means or what is generally
understood.
PLOT (Types of Irony)
1. Verbal irony is a disparity of
expression and intention: when a
speaker says one thing but means
another, or when a literal meaning
is contrary to its intended effect. An
example of this is sarcasm.
PLOT (Types of Irony)
2. Dramatic irony is a disparity of
expression and awareness: when words
and actions possess a significance that
the listener or audience understands,
but the speaker or character does not.
PLOT (Types of Irony)
3. Situational irony is the
disparity of intention and
result: when the result of an
action is contrary to the desired
or expected effect.
 PLOT DIAGRAM
Exposition Statement
The part of the plot that tells how CLIMA
the story begins. X

Rising Action: The action in the

story leading up to the climax.
Conflict: The struggles or

FAL ION
ACT
ION
problems between opposing forces. CONFLIC

LIN
Climax: The point of crisis in the T

ACT

G
plot. It may be the reader’s point of

NG
highest interest.

RISI
Falling action: The action in the
story after the climax is revealed.
Resolution: The part of the plot
that reveals the final outcome. EXPOSITIO RESOLUTIO
MY SAMPLE PLOT DIAGRAM
 2. CHARACTERS
- Character creation is more complex
than creating a plot from the action.
From the words of the character; we
can understand and define him
- A character must be the one
according to the community so
difficult because infinite variety of
human personality.
Ways of Dramatizing Characters:
• Writer paints a Picture of the
physical appearance of the
character.(Possession, physical
description, immediate
surroundings are factors)
• The setting can help the readers
to understand the mood of the
character
• Their speech and dialogues may
help us
Ways of Dramatizing Characters:
• Opinions of others in the
story may give an idea about
the character
• Giving extra information
about the characters’ acts
attitudes
• The writer goes directly into
the mind of the character &
explains the inner thoughts
of him
 Non-Dramatic Characterization:

Writer can tell the person’s

right character at the beginning
by certain adjectives.
(characterization by
exposition)
 Characterization by Narration

The writer tells us something

about the character at the very
beginning and to illustrate it,
he may tell an incident related
to that quality. But this is a
rare method.
 Kinds of Characters
• ROUND CHARACTER - is a
fully developed character.
• FLAT CHARACTERS -
CARDBOARD characters also
called one dimensional characters.
She / he must JUSTIFY his / her role
in the story. Every character must
have an INTEGRAL POINT in the
whole story.
 Kinds of Characters
• STOCK (LITERARY)
CHARACTER:
If the reader can imagine the flat
characters’ actions beforehand,
they are called as stock characters.
Stock characters are used for
COMIC & SATIRICAL
EFFECTS. They are generally
exaggerated.
 Kinds of Characters

1. Major characters:
- Protagonist
- Antagonist
- Round Characters
2 Minor characters:
-Flat characters
-Stock (literary) characters
-Foil character
 Kinds of Characters
DYNAMIC CHARACTER: There
should be a (positive)change in the
character; should not END as he
started. A change in the behaviors
STATIC CHARACTER: If the
character remains the same
throughout the story he is called as
STATIC CHARACTER.
 Kinds of Characters
Foil Character : the contrasting figure ,
opposing character. Foils are minor
characters, used to emphasize the
quality of the major characters.
Archetypal character : Prototype
characters who have universal
characteristics regardless of time and
place, can be found in every theme,
story. (Femme Fatal)
 Kinds of Characters

Confidante: is the person with

whom the protagonist talks and
to whom he reveals his secret (A
mother, a nurse, a friend may be
confidante)
 3. EMOTIONS
Fiction makes us understand & feel.
So emotion is important but not only
the emotions of the characters but the
readers’ emotion as well. Non- fictional
works ,like biographies, travel
literatures, articles and essays… any
prose work that is not fiction make us
only understand.
 How are the emotions conveyed?

Not told directly. We learn

about them through the actions.
Namely; in an indirect way, in
connection with the emotions
the tone and the mood of the
story are also given.
 The elements of Emotion:
Tone: The way the writer writes
the story. Namely; his attitudes
towards his characters & events and
towards the subject matter
determines the tone of the story.

Mood: The general total

atmosphere of the story. Mood is
created through the emotions.
 Kinds of Emotion:
Emotions of the character
that writer creates

Emotions that the writer

wants the readers to
experience
 Ways of Creating Emotion:
By the representation of a single
scene that will create lots of
emotion.
By the construction of a longer
situation.
By mentioning the same theme
over and over again (by the
repetition of the same theme)
 Ways of Creating Emotion:

By bringing back the memories,

long forgotten events or past
experiences.

By contradiction (showing the

conflicting situations)
 Ways of Creating Emotion:
By creating similar incidents (between
past & present) especially using
descriptions of sensation.
e.g. Wind blows against the one’s face
The mother stroking the hair of the child

 By describing Abstract ideas &

concepts (like fear , anger, envy,
pity, anxiety…etc.)
Devices for Establishing the Mood

1.
DRAMATI 2.
C IRONY SUSPENSE
3.
SYMPATH
Y

4. 5.
EMPATHY RESTRAIN
T
 4. SYMBOLISM

A symbol is something such as an

object, picture, written word, sound,
or particular mark that represents
something else by association,
resemblance, or convention.
For ex: a red octagon may stand for
"STOP". Numerals are symbols for
numbers.
 Kinds of Symbols
1. Original Symbols- arise from the total
structure of the story, a new created
symbol, you can find it in no other fiction.
It is the creation of the writer used for the
first time.

2. Conventional Symbols - don’t come

out of the story naturally, but have been
used before by some others and become
known by the readers. (like moon, sun,
river…)
 Origin of Symbols
 Symbolism - in the late 19th century
esp. by the development in
PSYCHOLOGY & PSYCHIATRY: For
Freud , dreams are the revelations of
subconscious minds of people and they
are full of symbols and need to be
interpreted.
 Figures of speech :(similes, metaphors)
may be used by the writer but they are not
symbols, just used to strengthen his
descriptions.
 Origin of Symbols
 The psychologist, Carl Jung, who
studied archetypes, proposed an
alternative definition of symbol,
distinguishing it from the term "sign".
In Jung's view, a sign stands for
something known, as a word stands for
its referent. He contrasted this with
symbol, which he used to stand for
something that is unknown and that
cannot be made clear or precise.
 Psychological Symbols :

1. Archetypal images or symbols.

Namely, valid for all the time and all
the people – universal symbols.

e.g. a pregnant womanà rebirth,

fertility, continuation of life.
 Psychological Symbols :
2. Psychological Symbols - may arise
from a person’s own experience or may
arise from a group experience.

e.g. a national symbol-- flag. Always abstract

ideas are symbolized.

e.g. Picasso’s pigeon symbolizes PEACE the

breast of a mother--FERTILITY heart--
LOVE
 5. THEME
- It is the total summary of all the things
that take place in the story.(it is the feeling
and the idea that the story gives us or
awakens in our minds and hearts)
- is the summary of the story that arises a
feeling in the mind & heart of the reader
or it is the feeling given by the total
summary of all the incidents,
conversations, descriptions in the story.
 6. POINT OF VIEW
Also FOCUS: It is the position of the
author from which he is telling the
story.

Different ways of Telling Story:

1) Subjective Narrative Position ( 1st
person’s point of view)

2) Anonymous Narrative Position

( objective )
 A. Subjective Narrative Position
(1st person’s point of view)

- The writer refers himself as “I”.

There are different variations of
subjective narrative position. The
narrator may be a major character,
minor character, the protagonist, an
observer etc.
 Kinds of Subjective Narrative
Position
1. Interior Monologue : Through
the all story he thinks in his mind.
No actual speaking.

Two kinds:
a. Direct Interior Monologue
b. Indirect Interior Monologue
 a. Direct Interior Monologue
There seems to be no central
character. The reader seems to have
a secret knowledge. We become
aware of everything by deducing
information from the thoughts of the
characters. Another name of this
direct method is stream of
consciousness.
 b. Indirect Interior
Monologue
The writer states the central
character to present specific details in a
rational manner and comment on the
general situation. Namely; we see the
actions happening in the mind of the
character. In this form of interior
monologue there is an AGENT between
us and the mind of the character.
 Kinds of Subjective Narrative
Position
2. Dramatic Monologue - the
characters actually SPEAKS & ACTS.
It is more common in poetry and
fiction. There is a central character who
is actually talking to the Author(not to
the readers) It is effective and can
produce a sense of irony.
 Kinds of Subjective Narrative
Position
3. Narrator as Participant :
Narrator actually takes part in the story.
Namely, he is one of the characters in
the story. There is no rule that the story
should take place in the past, present or
at the time when narrator is telling the
story.
 Kinds of Subjective Narrative
Position
4. Narrator as Observer : The writer
does not take part in the story usually
outside the events. (observing from the
outside)It can be minor character and
can be relatively objective as he isn’t
taking place in the action.
For example: a journalist
 Kinds of Subjective Narrative
Position
5. Simple or Untrustworthy
Narrator : The narrator is a simple
person and he / she knows or
understands the whole action wrong so,
narrates the whole story wrongly. This
kind of narrator can be simple minded
neighbor or a child so we cannot rely
on what he/she is telling us.
 Kinds of Subjective Narrative
Position
6. Narrator as a Diarist or Letter
Writer : The writer tells the story
by writing a diary or in the form of
letters. Everything is all written.
 B. Anonymous (Objective)
Narrative Position :
It is the 3rd person’s point
of view. The writer is
anonymous, we don’t know
who is telling the story.
 Kinds of Anonymous
Narrative Position
1. Omniscient Narrative
Position : If the writer appears
as an omniscient narrator, he is
outside the story and knows &
sees everything.
 Kinds of Omniscient
Narrative Position
a. Single Character Limited
Omniscience - The writer knows
about the heart and mind of only
ONE PERSON(either major or a
minor character from the story)
 Kinds of Omniscient
Narrative Position
b. Dual Character Limited
Omniscience: The writer knows
about the heart and mind of only
TWO PEOPLE. and usually
(protagonist & antagonist)
 Kinds of Omniscient
Narrative Position

c. Multi Character
Omniscience : The writer knows
about the heart and mind of ALL
THE CHARACTERS in the story
 Kinds of Anonymous
Narrative Position
2. Dramatic Narrative Position : It is
the 3rd person’s objective point of view,
very popular today. The suspense is
created in the mind of the readers. “what
will happen next” is the permanent
question that the readers have in their
minds. There is no comment, no mind
reading (almost like a movie camera)
 METHODS OF CLASSIFYING
STORIES
a. According to single b. According to
effect produced plot
 Stories of horror Adventure
 Stories of the Detective
supernatural
Mystery
 Stories of local color
 Stories of romantic c. According to Character
adventure d. According to Theme
 Stories of humor
 METHODS OF CLASSIFYING
STORIES
• The plot is always a horror
experience and it usually GHOST /
involves the intrusion of a HORROR
supernatural element into STORY
everyday human experience.
• Settings vary but they are
usually secluded and isolated
places.
• Atmosphere is often created by
description of the setting.
 METHODS OF CLASSIFYING
STORIES
LOVE STORY
(Romance)
- Plots of romance revolve around two
people as they develop romantic love
for each other and work to build a
relationship together.
- Both the conflict and the climax of the story
should be directly related to that core theme
of developing a romantic relationship.
 METHODS OF CLASSIFYING
STORIES
• Realistic fiction is usually REALISTIC
set in modern times.
• It can also have a historical STORY
setting - events usually
have something to do with
an important historical
event
• Characters will be
ordinary, believable people.
• Stories may be funny or
serious
• Dialogue will be realistic
 METHODS OF CLASSIFYING
STORIES
Science Fiction
• Science fiction plots commonly explore ideas like
space travel, cloning, time travel, or aliens.
Fantastical things happen but all have a scientific
explanation. No use of magic.
• Settings often include other planets, space ships, or
futuristic cities. These may be described in detail
• Characters will often include robots, aliens,
astronauts, or scientists
 METHODS OF CLASSIFYING
STORIES
• Also called “mystery” genre
CRIME
• Mystery plots always involve STORY
characters trying to discover a
vital piece of information
which is kept hidden until the
climax. Solving crimes by the
use of clues is common in this
genre.
• Characters usually include
detectives, criminals, or the
police.
METHODS OF CLASSIFYING
STORIES
MYTHS
• Myths tend to be about
gods or supernatural
beings.
• Often tell about events
from the distant past
• Sometimes creation
stories or explain natural
phenomena
• Legends are similar, but
usually about heroes
rather than gods.
 METHODS OF CLASSIFYING
STORIES
FABLES
• Characters are usually animals, plants, inanimate
objects, or forces of nature which are given human
qualities.
• They illustrate a moral lesson which is often
expressed explicitly at the end.

Slow and
steady wins
the race!
 METHODS OF CLASSIFYING
STORIES
PARABLE
S told by Jesus
• Usually refers to the stories
in the New Testament.
• They are used to explain difficult
theological concepts in terms which
people can easily understand.
 METHODS OF CLASSIFYING
STORIES
FAIRYTALE
•Fairy tales tend to be about royalty, fairies,
S
stepmothers, giants and talking animals.
wicked

•Settings often include castles, forests, cottages and the

time is often “long ago”
•Events are magical and supernatural. The good live
happily ever after at the end and the bad are punished in
some way.
 APPROACH TO TEACHING A
SHORT
STORIES
1. Understand the features of the text
type.
2. Understand the features of the
genre.
3. Analyze the text
4. Decide teaching objectives
5. Plan lessons and materials
 Response Strategies That Would
Contribute To One’s Understanding
And Appreciation Of Short Stories
1.Engaging- defining one’s emotional
experience
2.Connecting- relating similar experience
3.Describing- describing the nature of a
character’s acts
4.Interpreting- inferring, explaining, or
interpreting
5.Judging- judging the character or the quality
 STAGES IN WORKING WITH THE
TEXT
INTEGRATING
AND APPLYING

UNDERSTANDIN
G THE DETAILS
BUILDING-UP Extension
KNOWLEDGE OF activities
THE TOPIC While-reading /
Post-reading
Pre- reading
 PRE-READING STAGE
When?
• In class – teacher-guided
How?
• Recall previous knowledge and
experience
• Make predictions about the setting of the story
• Pre-teaching/providing background
information about the author
What activities?
• Vocabulary Enhancement
• Ask Motive questions to the students
 WHILE-READING/ POST-
READING STAGE
When?
• In class – teacher-guided

How?
• Applying reading strategies
• Connecting the story to reader’s mind
and experience

What activities?
• Engaging in discussions
• Identifying story elements using story
organizer
• Summarizing events
 EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
When?
• After teaching the story
Purpose:
• Integrative use of skills to show
interpretation and appreciation
• Consolidating understanding of the story
• Applying the language skills learnt
What activities?
• Performing (ex. Readers’ theatre, role
playing)
• Extended tasks and projects
• Assignments
 Thank you
ma’am Ruth
God bless and
keep safe!