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.
“It’s spring,” he said, and there
was gladness rising in his voice
that filled us all with the same
feeling.
“It’s mighty late for it, but it’s
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
 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. They’d 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 character’s personality through:
• The character’s thoughts, words, and
actions
• The comments of other characters
• The character’s physical appearance
Indirect Characterization
through Thoughts

“Moonbeam closed his eyes and

pretended to sleep the rest of the
way to Bamfield. He couldn’t believe
what he had gotten himself into.
How had this happened? He’d 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. You’re in trouble… yer
constipated!” Kenny chortled
gleefully. “Wait’ll 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 Internal Conflict

Conflict • Human vs. Self
• Human vs. Human
• 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 lion can be
• A journey can a symbol of
symbolize life courage.

• A red rose
• Water may can
represent
represent
cleanliness
love.
and renewal
 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. It’s like the music
in a scary movie when
we know that something
bad is about to happen.
Quizz
1. The time and location in which a story
takes place

A. Plot
B. Setting
C. Conflict
D. Characterization
2. The underlying meaning or main idea of
a story is called the ______________.

A. theme
B. mood
C. plot
D. setting
3. The angle from which the story is told.

A. camera view
B. character view
C. point of view
D. none of the above
4. The central, main character of a story is
called the ____________.

A. antagonist
B. protagonist
C. antagonizer
D. instigator
5. The opposition of forces, essential to the
plot is called__________?

A. setting
B. conflict
C. character
D. climax
6. The most exciting part of the story is
called the _________.

A. setting
B. exposition
C. climax
D. rising action
7. What is a person or animal which takes
part in the action of a story called?
A. setting
B. plot
C. character
D. conflict
E. narrator
8. What is the sequence of events involving
characters and a central conflict called?
A. setting
B. plot
C. character
D. conflict
E. narrator
9. The character who opposes the main
character is called the __________.
A. protagonist
B. antagonist
C. dynamic character
D. static character
10.What type of character does not change?

A. dynamic
B. round
C. flat
D. static
11. What type of character changes point of
view and develops throughout the story?

A. simple
B. dynamic
C. static
D. round
12. All events leading up to the climax?

A. exposition
B. resolution
C. falling action
D. rising action
E. climax
13. All events after the climax and leading
to the resolution?
A. exposition
B. resolution
C. falling action
D. rising action
E. climax
14. End of the central conflict?

A. falling action
B. resolution
C. climax
D. rising action
15. What is the term called that does not
change and stands for something?

A. symbolism
B. abstract
C. mood
D. theme
16. Comparison of two unlike things that
use like or as is called_________.

A. foreshadowing
B. simile
C.Metaphor
D.Allusion
17. Comparison of two unlike things that
doe not include like or as.

A. Simile
B. Hyperbole
C. Metaphor
D. Personification
18. Literary term that means giving human
characteristics to something that is not
human.

A. Hypberbole
B. Personification
C. Simile
D. Metaphor
19. What term means category or kind of
story?

A. Fiction
B. Non-Fiction
C. Genre
D. Literature
20. All categories of books or stories can be
called either fiction or non-fiction.

A. True
B. False
21. What is the genre name that uses
characters, settings, and plots, that aren't
real but could resemble the truth?
A. Non-Fiction
B. Fantasy
C. Fiction
D. Historical Fiction
22. What is the genre name for fiction set in
the past?

A. Realistic Fiction
B. Historical Fiction
C. Science Fiction
D. Fantasy
23. What is the genre name that
encompasses facts that can be proven and
checked and is true?
A. Historical Fiction
B. Realistic Fiction
C. Non-Fiction
D. Fable
24. What is the name of fiction that
incorporates science or technology, or both?

A. Realistic Fiction
B. Fantasy
C. Science Fiction
D. Folktale
25. What genre of fiction is written about
strange and unusual characters revolving
around the setting , characters, and plot?
A. Fantasy
B. Non-Fiction
C. Historical Fiction
D. Realistic Fiction
30. Poetry may have rhythm and
______________.
A. speech
B. format
C. rhyme
D. creative and tells a story in verse
E. Both c and d