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GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

THE SHORT STORY: a fictional, narrative piece of prose with many similarities to the

novel

much shorter than novels and cover a much shorter period of fictional time

without the luxury of the novel’s fully-developed characters and intricate plot complications, stories introduce and resolve the conflict(s) quickly

usually under 10,000 words

can usually be read in one sitting

intended to create a single impression (e.g., suspense, horror, mystery, fear, humour, pathos, wonder, etc.)

titles usually brief, arresting and key to understanding story

THE LAWS OF PLOT

BASIC PRINCIPLES PRACTISED BY EXCEPTIONAL WRITERS

1. PLAUSABILITY story is convincing on its own terms and is true to itself (does not have to be

realistic)

2. SURPRISE stories that preclude the unexpected are usually dull reading

3. SUSPENSE readers should experience an expectant uncertainty as to the outcome of plot

this develops as we become aware of the developing uncertainty in the situation

PLOT

DEFINITION sequence of events that make up the story

series of events or incidents that happen to the main character

series of incidents that produce a dramatic story with a beginning, middle and an end

PLOT cont…

MAJOR ELEMENTS OF PLOT

1. EXPOSITION background information provided by the author at the beginning of

the story

2. INTRODUCTION arouses reader’s interest

suggests the nature of conflict

introduces setting and characters

PLOT cont…

3. INITIAL INCIDENT first step in the plot

beginning of the rising action

4. RISING ACTION complications or obstacles to the main character creating conflict and

suspense

5. CRISIS a high point of action

a complication in the plot

PLOT cont…

6. CLIMAX most suspenseful moment or the height of the action

usually occurs at the point where the major conflict is resolved

outcome is inevitable from this point forward

point in story where the action and tension have peaked, and reader knows how conflict will be resolved

7. CONCLUSION ties up loose ends of plot

usually short or absent

may restate theme/moral of story

PLOT cont…

8. DENOUEMENT (“Falling Action”) unknotting of plot or conflict following climax

author ties up loose end of story

Note: Some stories end with the climax

NARRATIVE

NARRATIVE: a story or telling of a story, or an account of a situation or events

narratives may be fictional or true

narratives may be written in either prose or verse

NARRATION: the act of telling a story and thus the physical recounting of an event in

time

 

NARRATOR: a speaker through whom an author presents a narrative

usually, the speaker is a character in the story itself

every narrative has a narrator (sometimes there exists more than one)

NARRATIVE cont...

POINT OF VIEW:

the vantage point from which a narrative is told (P.O.V. is “through whose eyes” the story is being told)

a narrative is typically told from the point of view from either:

NARRATIVE cont...

FIRST PERSON point of view told by the main character

she is usually a part of the story and refers to herself in the first person, often using the pronoun “I”

SECOND PERSON point of view denoted by the use of “you”

this technique is infrequently used in fiction

NARRATIVE cont…

THIRD PERSON point of view using “he,” “she,” and “they”

the two types of third person P.O.V. are Omniscient and Limited omniscient

TYPE #1: OMNISCIENT (all knowing) point of view which allows the author to not only recount the action

thoroughly and reliably but also to enter the mind of any character in the work at any time in order to reveal her thoughts, feelings, and beliefs directly to the reader

TYPE #2: LIMITED OMNISCIENT point of view which allows the author to recount the story through the

eyes of a single character

such a point of view is therefore limited to what that character knows

this is the most common way of telling a story

CHARACTERS

PROTAGONIST most important character(s) in story

traditionally referred to as the “hero”

not necessarily morally virtuous

ANTAGONIST character with and against whom the protagonist struggles

usually a villain or evil character in story

not necessarily morally repugnant

CHARACTERS cont…

STOCK OR STEREOTYPED CHARACTERS “typical” characters

usually described and characterized in 1-2 sentences (e.g., the bully, the kindly grandmother, the over-bearing father, the naïve child, etc.)

Note: Circular reasoning: these characters can be characterized quickly because what is revealed about them is usually consistent with the readers’ understanding of the character type (i.e., since we already have pre-conceived notions of different “types” of people we can “easily” point them out in a story)

CHARACTERS cont…

MINOR CHARACTERS periphery characters

only important insofar as they act as complements and/or foils for major characters

FOIL CHARACTERS a character whose situation or actions parallel those of a major

character, and thus by contrast sets off or illuminates the major character

CHARACTERIZATION

DEFINITION: what the author does to inform the reader about the characters in a

story

WAYS TO DEVELOP A CHARACTER: what the author tells us about the character

physical traits the character possesses

statements made, and ideas thought by the character

how other characters perceive them

the actual name or title of the character

the actions of the character (i.e., what the character does in a situation)

CHARACTERIZATION cont…

CHARACTERIZATION AND INFERENCE

usually authors reveal what characters are like through the character’s reactions to the incidents and events of a story

therefore, the character is usually what she does (since the author has limited time to develop characters, this definition usually holds true in most short stories)

CHARACTERIZATION cont…

STATIC CHARACTERS remain the same throughout the story 1 or 2-dimensional personalities impervious and resistant to change

 

DYNAMIC CHARACTERS change as a result of the events of the story 3-dimensional personalities amenable and open to change

CHARACTERIZATION cont…

REALISM AND COMPLEXITY the most memorable characters are usually the most believable therefore, such characters behave consistently and with reasons for

their statements, thoughts, and actions however, characters must also be complex enough to surprise

readers with their statements, thoughts, and actions

CHARACTER SKETCH a written description of a character that examines his appearance

and personality

CONFLICT

DEFINITION the central problem, obstacle, or dilemma the protagonist has to

deal with during the course of the narrative

the force or impetus that moves the plot along

the struggles in which the characters are involved and through which characterization is revealed

those things that cause or interfere with the solution to the problem facing the protagonist

the central conflict may in turn effect other kinds of conflict

CONFLICT cont…

BASIC KINDS OF CONFLICT:

INTERNAL: conflict that originates from within the character

EXTERNAL: conflict that occurs as a result of forces outside the character

CONFLICT cont…

TYPES OF CONFLICT

1. INDIVIDUAL AT ODDS WITH HERSELF an internal and personal struggle

usually a crisis of conscience that psychologically, emotionally and/or spiritually “conflicts” the struggling character

2. INDIVIDUAL vs. INDIVIDUAL conflict between two characters in opposition either mentally or

physically

CONFLICT cont…

3. INDIVIDUAL vs. SOCIETY conflict between a character in opposition to a law, rule or custom of his

group or community, or;

between an individual and a group (e.g., neighbours, an institution, a corporation)

4. INDIVIDUAL vs. THE UNKNOWN/DESTINY/FATE a character challenges his destiny, and usually loses

5. INDIVIDUAL vs. NATURE conflict between a character and natural phenomena (e.g., typhoon,

maelstrom, famine, hurricane, etc.)

TERMINOLOGY

THEME not simply the subject of a literary work; rather, the theme is a statement that

the text seems to be making about that subject

the statement can be moral or not

theme is distinguished from motif, a term that usually refers to a unifying element in an artistic work, especially a recurrent image, symbol, theme, character type, subject, or narrative detail

not usually stated directly in a short story – must be inferred from close reading

theme is developed through the interrelationship of all the characteristics of the short story

Example: The subject of a work might be suffering. The theme, depending on the view of the author, might be that suffering is in God’s plan and should therefore simply be accepted—or that it is a drain on an individual’s spirit or mind and should therefore be avoided at all costs.

TERMINOLOGY cont…

TURNING POINT sometimes referred to as the crisis

the moment in a plot when the conflict has intensified to a level at which the protagonist’s situation will change decisively, either for the better or for the worse

SETTING combination of place, historical time, and social environment that provides

the general background for the characters and plot of a literary work

can be used to create conflict, reveal character, develop atmosphere or mood, or as a symbol to develop the story’s theme

frequently plays a crucial role in determining the atmosphere of a work

TERMINOLOGY cont…

MOOD the atmosphere the author creates in telling the story

may change during the story

the author can also make the reader feel, e.g., excited, sad, frightened, worried, curious, anxious, happy, or angry

suspense is a literary device used to create mood

SUSPENSE the feeling of being uncertain about what is about to happen next

a state of expectation, anticipation, and curiosity about the outcome of a plot or the resolution of a conflict

TERMINOLOGY cont…

STYLE the way in which a literary work is written, the devices the author

uses to express his thoughts and convey the work’s subject matter (or: the way in which the author tells the story)

the message or material that the author communicates to the reader, along with how the author chooses to present it produces an author’s individual style

some of the elements include:

- choice of words

- types of sentences

- figures of speech

TERMINOLOGY cont…

DICTION

a speaker or author’s word choice (narrow definition) vocabulary and syntax (broad definition) Vocabulary: the degree of difficulty, complexity, abstractness,

formality, and currency of words used, as well as the origin of the words chosen (native or foreign, Latinate or Germanic, etc.)

Syntax: the arrangement, ordering, grouping, and placement of words within a phrase, clause, or sentence

TERMINOLOGY cont…

FLASHBACK technique for presenting something that happens earlier (often prior

to when the reader begins the story) that helps explain something about the current situation

origins: ancient epic tradition of beginning a work in medias res (“in the middle of things”) and then moving back in time to tell the beginning of the story

SYMBOLS something that stands for or suggests something else (e.g., a lion

often symbolizes courage; a river may symbolize time; a journey may symbolize life)

TERMINOLOGY cont…

IRONY a contradiction or incongruity between appearance or expectation and reality

surprise: the opposite of what is expected (or said) occurs

helps to suggest meanings without actually saying them

3 types of irony:

Verbal:

the contrast between what is said and what is meant

Dramatic:

the contrast between what a character thinks to be true and what we the reader know to be true

Situational:

the contrast between what happens and what was expected to happen