Elements of Short Story (Grade 8)

Grade 8

Elements Of a short story

By Leah D. Alaton

Place - Geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking place? Time - When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day, year, etc.) Weather Conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc.? Social Conditions -What is the daily life of the characters like? Does the story contain local color (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)?• Mood or Atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening?

Setting

Character

a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or a piece of literary work.

charaters

Main Characters

Minor Characters

usually static or unchanging

those who are most important in the story

characters according to principality

Protagonist

Antagonist

is the character with whom the reader empathizes

is the character that goes against the protagonist

characters according to development

Dynamic•

Static

a character who exhibits no changes and development

a character that exhibits noticeable development

characters according to personalty

Round

Flat

it is the character that reveals conventional traits.

is a character that displays different/multiple personalities throughout the story remains the same throughout the story.

Plot

It is the sequence of events in a story or play

Linear plot - Moves with the natural sequence of events where actions are arranged sequentially.5

En Medias Res - A kind of plot where the story commences in the middle part of the action.

2. Circular plot - A kind of plot where linear development of the story merges with an interruption in the chronological order to show an event that happened in the past.

five stages in a story

1. Introduction - The beginning of the story where thecharacters and the setting is revealed.2. Rising Action - This is where the events in the storybecome complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed(events between the introduction and climax). 3. Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turningpoint of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; willthe conflict be resolved or not? 4. Falling action - The events and complications beginto resolve themselves. The reader knows what hashappened next and if the conflict was resolved or not(events between climax and denouement). 5. Denouement - This is the final outcome or untangling ofevents in the story.

conflict

Conflict is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move. Two Major Types 1. External - A struggle with a force outside ones self. 2. Internal - A struggle within ones self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge

external

man vs. man- a type of conflict where one character in the story has a problem with one or more of the other charactersb. man vs. society- a type of conflict where a character has a conflict orproblem with some element of society-the school, thelaw, the accepted way of doing things, and so onc. man vs. nature- a type of conflict where a character has a problem withsome natural happening: snowstorm, typhoon, avalanche,bitter cold, or any elements common to nature

internal

man vs. self is a type of conflict where a character has trouble deciding what to do in a particular situation

point of view

The angle from which the story is told.Types: 1. First-Person - The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc). 2. 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. 3. Third-Person Omniscient - The narrator tells the story from an all-knowing point of view. He can move from character to character, event to event, having free access to the thoughts, feelings and motivations of his characters and he introduces information where and when he chooses.

Thanks!