Short Story Elements

English 9

Protagonist

The principle character in a literary work.

Usually a “good” guy or hero but doesn’t have to be.

Antagonist

One that contends with or opposes.

Usually the “bad” guy or the character that opposes the protagonist.

Static Character

A static character is one that does not change during the course of a story.

Dynamic Character

A dynamic character is one that develops and grows over the course of a story.

Point of View

The point of view from which a story is told:– First person: when a character in the story

tells the story – Third person: when a voice outside the

story tells the story; omniscient narrators are all knowing

Setting

The time and place of the action of a story.

May include a city or state, season, year, or time of day.

Conflict

A struggle between opposing forces– Can be internal or external – External conflict is a struggle with an

outside force (society, nature, another character)

– Internal conflict is a struggle a character has with him or herself

Plot

The sequence of events in a story– Exposition– Rising Action– Climax– Falling Action– Resolution

Theme

A theme is a broad idea in a story, or a central message or lesson conveyed by a work. This message is usually about life, society or human nature.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a literary device in which an author drops subtle hints about plot developments to come later in the story. An example of foreshadowing might be when a character displays a gun or knife early in the story. Merely the appearance of a deadly weapon, even though it is used for an innocuous purpose — such as being cleaned or whittling wood — suggests terrible consequences later on.

Symbolism

A symbol is a person, place, thing, or action that stands for itself and for some other more complex meaning or significance. Symbols have literal and figurative meanings: • A watch that a character wears is literally a watch.

• A watch that a character wears and constantly plays with can figuratively represent that character's obsession with time.

Irony

Irony is a literary or rhetorical device in which there is a gap or incongruity between what a speaker or a writer says and what is generally understood (either at the time, or in the later context of history).

Example: Romeo and Juliet

Metaphor

Metaphors are comparisons that show how two things that are not alike in most ways are similar in one important way. Metaphors are a way to describe something.

Example: – Chybon was a wall, keeping the defense

from reaching DeCorey.

Simile

A comparison of two or more things.

Similes are typically marked by use of "like" or "as" or "than", or "resembles".

Example: – Lauren’s drawings are as colorful as a

rainbow.

Imagery

Imagery is descriptive language that deals with any of the five senses (sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste.)

Mood

Mood is the feeling created in the reader while reading a story. – Scared, happy, anxious, etc