Elements of Short Story

Elements of Short Story
Prepared by: Ms. Diza Lingat

1. Setting
• The time and location in which a story
takes place.
Prepared by: Ms. Diza LingatElements of Short Story
place
time
weather conditions
social conditions
Greek term “opsis” (Scene
or spectacle) - a particular
visible setting in literature.

2. Character
• There are two meanings for the word character:
1. The person in a work of literature;
2. The characteristics of a person.
Characters are the persons represented
in a work of literature.
They possess moral, intellectual, and
emotional qualities.
We learn about a character by examining
5 areas:
1. what he says (dialogue)
2. what he thinks
3. what he does (actions)
4. what is said about him by other
characters and the narrator
5. an author's direct statement
Motivation is the reason behind a
character’s behavior; it’s what
drives a complex character to think
and act in a certain way.

2. Character
Kinds of Characters
1. Protagonist (hero or heroine) - The main
character in a plot, on whom our interest is
centered.
2. Antagonist – The person or force that
opposes the main character.
**If the antagonist is evil or capable of
cruel actions, he/she is called villain.

2. Character
Other Kinds of Characters
1. Round Character – has many sides and complex
personalities; capable of surprising the reader.
2. Flat Character – personalities that are
presented only briefly and not in depth.
3. Dynamic – changes by the end of the story.
4. Static – they never change, often stereotyped.

3. Plot
It is the sequence of events in a story or
play.
Planned
Logical
With unity of action

3. Plot
Five parts of a plot:
The beginning of the story where
the characters and the setting is
revealed.

3. Plot
This is where the events in the
story become complicated and the
conflict in the story is revealed.

3. Plot
This is the highest point of
interest and the turning point of the
story. The reader wonders what will
happen next; will the conflict be
resolved or not?
Climax as a three-fold
phenomenon:
1) The main character receives
new information
2) Accepts this information
3) Acts on this information

3. Plot
The events and complications
begin to resolve themselves. The
reader knows what has happened next
and if the conflict was resolved or not

3. Plot
This is the final outcome or untangling
of events in the story.

4. Conflict
• It is the opposition of forces which ties one
incident to another and makes the plot move.
Two Types of Conflicts:
1. External
2. Internal
1. Human vs. Human
2. Human vs. Nature
3. Human vs. Society
4. Human vs. Self

5. Point of View
• The angle or perspective from which the
story is told.
Types of Points of View:
1. First Person
2. Second Person
3. Third Person
First Person
The narrator is a character
in the story, often times, the
protagonist.

5. Point of View
story is told.
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.

5. Point of View
story is told.
2. Second Person (“you”)
It is most often used in training
manuals, role-playing games and
Choose Your Own Adventure novels.

5. Point of View
story is told.
3. Third Person
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”.

5. Point of View
story is told.
3. Third Person
a. Omniscient Third Person
b. Limited Ominiscient
c. Objective

5. Point of View
• The angle or perspective from which the story is
told.
a. Omniscient Third Person
“all-knowing”
The narrator can move from character to
character, event to event, having free access to
the thoughts, feelings and motivations of any
character and can introduce information where
and when he or she chooses

5. Point of View
told.
b. Limited Omniscient
The story is told by a third person narrator
but from the viewpoint of a character in the
story, usually the main character or protagonist.
The reader has access to the thoughts and
feelings of only one character.

5. Point of View
told.
c. Objective Third Person
The author tells the story in the third
person. It appears as though a camera is
following the characters, going anywhere, and
recording only what is seen and heard.
No interpretations offered.

6. Theme
The theme in a piece of fiction is its
controlling idea or its central insight. It is the
author's underlying meaning or main idea that
he is trying to convey.

Prepare for an assessment.

Elements of Short Story

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