Elements of the Short Story

Setting

The time and place of the action of a story

Setting includes the following:

The geographical location

The time period

The specific building, room and so on . . .

The feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader.

A cold wind sliced across the silent and empty graveyard. Stanton shivered and glanced up at the moon, a pale silver behind dark clouds. He heard footsteps, then more footsteps, and his stomach knotted. Shouldn’t have come, he thought.

What mood does this paragraph convey to the reader?

Mood

Characters

Protagonist – The main character in a story; the character who is involved in the central conflict of the story

Antagonist – principal character or force in opposition of the protagonist

Characters

Static – one who remains the same throughout the story

Dynamic – one who undergoes important changes as the plot unfolds

Plot

The series of events in a story

Elements of Plot Exposition – introduces setting and

characters; introduces the conflict

Rising Action – presents complications that intensify the conflict and builds suspense

Climax – the turning point and the moment of greatest suspense; makes the outcome of the conflict clear

Falling Action – eases the suspense; reveals the outcome of the story’s climax; shows how the main character resolves the conflict

Resolution – reveals the final outcome and ties up loose ends

FlashbackAn account of a conversation, an

episode, or an event that happened before the beginning of the story

ConflictStruggle between opposing forces

Internal conflict – a struggle within a character’s mind. The struggle usually centers on a choice or decision the character must make

External conflict – a clash between a character and an outside force, such as another character, society, or a force of nature

Point of View

First person – narrator is character in the story

Third person – narrative voice is outside the story

Third person omniscient – all-knowing point of view

Third person limited – narrator tells what only one character thinks

ForeshadowingWriter’s use of hints or clues to suggest

events that will occur later in a story

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using “like” or “as.”

Example: The river winds down the valley like a long, skinny snake.

Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”

Ex: Time is money.

Personification

Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects or abstract ideas.

Ex: The wind cried in the dark.

SymbolismAn object, character, figure, or color that

is used to represent something other than itself.

What does the feather symbolize for Dumbo?

AllusionA reference to the Bible, history, or another famous piece of literature.

In The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the gargoyle Laverne tells a flock of pigeons to “Fly my pretties! Fly, Fly!” alluding to the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

Tone

The writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward a subject, character, or audience; conveyed through the author’s choice of words and detail.

Tone can be:

Serious

Humorous

Sarcastic

Indifferent

Etc.

Theme

An underlying message about life or human nature that a writer

wants the reader to understand; the main idea of the story