Literary Elements

OBJECTIVES

•Identify elements of a short story

•Define elements of a short story

•Demonstrate mastery of short story elements

OVERVIEWShort stories often contain

structural and character elements that should be familiar to you.

These elements can be used as guides to help you think about the actions, themes, and contexts of the story.

•Theme

•Setting

•Characters

•Point of view

•Characterization

•Plot - exposition statement - rising action *conflict - climax - falling action - resolution

THEME

•The main idea of a literary work, usually expressed as a generalization.

SETTING•The time and place in which a work of literature happens.

ThemeIn literature, theme is a perception about life or human nature that the writer wants to share with the reader.

In most cases, the theme is not stated directly but must be inferred.

Themes can be revealed by

- a story’s title

- key phrases and statements about big ideas

- the ways the characters change and the lessons they learn about life.

Setting= time and place

-puts the reader in the story by giving the reader the feeling of

being in the situation.

-creates atmosphere by the positive or negative feelings associated with the

place.

CHARACTERS

• The people (or actors) in the story.

POINT OF VIEW• The story teller from whose point of view the story is being told, the narrator.

CHARACTERIZATION

The description of the personalities of the characters in the story and the way in which an author reveals their personalities.

Methods of CharacterizationCreating Believable Characters• Indirect

▫ physical appearance

▫ speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of the character

▫ speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of other characters

• Direct

▫ the narrator’s direct comments about a character

Point of View or . . .

(Who’s telling this story anyway?)-the vantage point from which the story is told.

-determines how much we, the readers, know about the characters.

1st Person• Narrator is a character in the story.

•Narrator uses first-person pronouns, I, me, my, we, us, our to refer to himself or herself.

•Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of one character and speaks directly to reader.

3rd Person Limited•Narrator does not participate in action of story.

•Narrator does not refer to himself or herself.

•Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of one character, but readers are able to maintain some emotional distance from the character.

3rd Person Omniscient•Narrator does not participate in action of story.

•Narrator does not refer to himself or herself.

•Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters; readers get insight into several characters.

PLOT•The sequence or order of events in a

story. The plot includes:

- Exposition Statement - The part of the plot that tells how the story begins.

- Rising Action - The action in the story leading up to the climax.

- Conflict - Struggles or problems between opposing forces.

More PLOT

- Climax - The point of crisis in the plot. It may be the reader’s point of highest interest.

- Falling action - The action in the story after the climax is revealed.

- Resolution - The part of the plot that reveals the final outcome.

PLOT DIAGRAM

PLOT

Ris

ing

Act

ion F

allin

g A

ction

Resolution

Climax

Exposition

Conflict

The plot of a short story centers around conflict. Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces.

Complications build the reader’s excitement.

Types of Conflict•External

-Man v Man

-Man v Nature

- Man v Fate

-Man v Obstacle or Society

•Internal

-Man v Himself

Bibliography

Dinneen, K. Elements of the Short Story. Retrieved Jun. 19, 2003, from Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1983/3/83.03.09.x.html

Five Elements of a Story. Retrieved Jun. 19, 2003, http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-2277.html Guevin, D. Short Story Elements. Retrieved Jun. 19, 2003, http://www.uvm.edu/~dguevin/Elements.html