short story elements

1. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 1 Short Story Elements

2. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 2

3. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 3 II. FICTION a writing that has events, characters, and a setting imaginatively created. Its purpose is to entertain and often illustrate some truth about life.

4. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 4 Four Types of Fiction Writing Short Story Novel Poetry Play

5. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 5 Elements of Fiction Plot Setting Theme Character

6. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 6 1. PLOT the chronological arrangement of the events in a story; what happens first, second, or third according to time. Elements of Plot: Pattern of events (chronological order) Conflict (Internal or External)

7. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 7 Elements of Plot Structure Exposition: introduction; meet the characters and setting Rising Action: conflict develops Climax: point of greatest interest; solution to the problem determines how the story ends Falling Action: events resulting from the climax Denouement / Resolution: the final outcome

8. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 8 Plot Diagram

9. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 9 Foreshadowing The use of clues by the author to prepare readers for events that will happen later in a story. Often used during the RISING ACTION.

10. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 10 Flashback A literary device in which an earlier episode, conversation, or event is inserted into the chronological sequence of a narrative. Often presented as a memory of a character, a flashback may be sparked by one or more cues, such as a sound or smell associated with a prior experience.

11. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 11 CONFLICT The struggle between opposing forces. External Conflict: Man versus man Man versus nature Man versus society Internal Conflict: Man versus himself

12. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 12 2. SETTING The setting is the time and location in which the action occurs. A story can be set in the past, present, or future. Even if the author does not specify the time in a story, you may draw conclusions from things that are mentioned. The time and location in a story affect the atmosphere. The atmosphere is the general feeling that is created as you read the story. Details of setting are rarely given fully and directly in a single opening paragraph but may appear throughout the story.

13. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 13 3. THEME Theme is the central message of a story, poem, novel, or play that readers can apply to life. Some works have a stated theme, which is expressed directly. More commonly, works have an implied theme, which is revealed gradually. To discover an implied theme, the reader might have to look at the experiences of the main character and the lessons he or she learns.

14. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 14 4. CHARACTER Character: a person or animal in a play or story Protagonist: the main character; the �good� guy Antagonist: the character or force that opposes the main character; the �bad� guy

15. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 15 Characterization the author�s method of acquainting the reader with his/her characters

16. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 16 Three Methods of Characterization Direct Characterization Make a direct statement about the character Indirect Characterization � learn about the character through: the character�s own words or thoughts the character�s actions the character�s appearance what the other characters say to or about them Stereotype

17. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 17 Four Character Types Round character � shows varied and sometimes contradictory traits 2. Flat character � reveals only one personality trait. A stereotype is a flat character of a familiar and often repeated type.

18. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 18 3. Dynamic Character � develops and changes in the course of the literary work. This change may result from a conflict or from a newfound understanding of him- or herself or others. 4. Static character � remains the same from beginning to end.

19. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 19 Character Foils A character who provides a strong contrast to another character. A foil may emphasize another character�s distinctive traits or make a character look better by comparison.

20. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 20 IV. Literary Elements A. Symbols Any object, person, place, or experience that means more than what it is. Symbolism is the use of images to represent internal realities.

21. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 21 B. MOOD The general atmosphere or feeling in a work of literature. Mood is created largely through description and setting. EXAMPLE: Graphic details of disease and death establish a mood of horror in the beginning of Edgar Allan Poe�s �The Masque of Red Death�

22. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 22 C. Point of View The vantage point from which the narrator tells the story. TYPES OF POV: First Person � the narrator is usually a character in the story. This narrator tells the story by using the pronouns I or we.

23. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 23 Limited Third Person � the narrator is outside the story and reveals the thoughts of only one character, but refers to that character as �he� or �she.� Third Person Omniscient � the narrator is outside the story and seems to know what every character is thinking and feeling.

24. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 24 D. Imagery Sensory details, or descriptions that appeal to one or more of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Writers use these images to evoke an emotional response in readers.

25. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 25 E. Irony The contrast, or difference, between appearance and reality, or what is said and what is meant.

26. Tier 3 Short Story Elements 26 Three Types of Irony Situational Irony � the actual outcome of a situation is the opposite of someone�s expectations. Verbal Irony � a person says one thing and means another. Dramatic Irony � the audience knows important information that the characters in a literary work do not know.