Elements of a Short Story

Prepared by:

Rigen V. MaalamLa Salle University

College of Education

5 Elements of a Short Story

• Characters

• Setting

• Plot Development

• Point of View

• Theme

• They are the peopie, or sometimes, the animals that participate in the action of a short story.

• They may be classified as major or minor, depending on their role and significance in the building of the story’s plot.

Characters

Protagonist/Hero/Heroine

- the central character in the story.- always involved in the main conflict

or problem of the story.

* Sometimes more than one character appears to be the protagonist of the story.

* In short stories that are written in the first person, the narrator often is the protagonist.

Antagonist/Villain/Villainess

- the one who challenges or opposes the protagonist.

- may be one of the characters, a force of nature, a group of people, or even some aspects of the protagonist’s personality.

• It refers to the time and place in which the action of a story occurs.

• It is one of the major elements of the short story.

Setting

• It refers to the actions and events that take place in the story.

• Each event has a conflict or struggle which may be between or among characters, within one character’s mind, or between a character and nature, or society.

Plot Development

• Each conflict has a point of interest.

• The story ends soon after the climax, sometimes without offering a solution.

• Usually the reader is left to think about a probable solution to the problem.

Plot Development con’t…

Parts of the Plot:

* Introduction- includes the setting and the

characters* Conflict or Problem

- the basis of the plot* Climax or Turning Point

- the peak of interest and the strength of the plot* Resolution or Conclusion, or the

Denouement- focuses on the ending of the story

• It refers to the person who tells the short story.

• The two basic points of view are the first person and third person.

Point of View

Points of View

The story is in the first person point of view when one of the characters is the one telling the story using his/her own words.

* Words, such as I, me, or myself are used.

Points of View

The story is in the third person point of view when it is told by someone who is not actually involved in the events.

* The happenings are usually told by the narrator.

• It is the main idea or message of a story.

• It shows the important matters covered in the story that ranges from friendship, love, reconcilation, cooperation, and many more.

Theme

Example of a Worksheet

Title of the story: ________________Characters: Protagonists/Heroes 1. __________________________ 2. __________________________

Antagonists/Villians 1. _________________________ 2. _________________________

Setting: 1. ________________________ 2. ________________________

Plot: 1. Introduction _______________ 2. Conflict ___________________ 3. Climax ____________________ 4. Resolution _________________

Point of View: ___________________

Theme:_______________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________