Short Story Elements:

Terms to Know
Setting
Where the story takes place
the geographical location
the time period
the socio-economic
characteristics and the culture
the specific place

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Setting
Can be used to tell readers about the
characters:

That evening T.J. smelled the air,

his nostrils dilating with the odor of the
earth under his feet. Its spring, he said,
and there was a gladness rising in his voice
that filled us with all the same feeling.
Its mighty late for it, but its
spring.We were all sniffing at the air, too,
trying to smell it the way that T.J. did, and I
can still remember the sweet odor of the
earth under our feet. It was the first time in
my life that spring and spring earth had
meant anything to me.
--From Antaeus by
Borden Deal
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Setting
Can be used to set up the atmosphere, or mood, for a story:

During the whole of a dull,

dark, and soundless day in
the autumn of the year,
when the clouds hung
oppressively low in the
heavens, I had been
passing alone, on
horseback, through a
singularly dreary tract of
country.
--From The Fall of
the House of Usher
by Edgar Allan Poe

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Characters
people (or animals, places,
things that are presented
as people)

Round Characters - true to life; many

personality traits.
Dynamic Characters - change or develop
Flat Characters stereotypical; one or two
personality traits.
Static Characters stay the same
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 ANTAGONIST PROTAGONIST
The character who opposes the The main character in a literary work.
protagonist. The characther who begins the action.
Does not have to be the bad guy. Does not have to be the good guy.

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Methods of Characterization
DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
(TELLS)

Jack had been in basic training in Florida and

Dottie was there on vacation with her
parents. Theyd met on the beach and struck
up a conversation. Dottie was the talker, the
outgoing onethe extrovert. Jack was too
shy around girls to say much at all.

- From Furlough1944 by Harry Mazer

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Methods of Characterization
INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
(SHOWS)

Remember STEAL!

What does the character say? How does the character speak?
Speech
What is revealed through the characters private thoughts and feelings?
Thoughts
How do other characters feel and/or behave in reaction to the character?
Effect
on others
What does the character do? How does the characters behave?
Actions
What does the character look like? How does the character dress?
Looks/
appearance
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 Examples of
Indirect
Characterization
from
The Cat in the Hat
by Dr. Seuss

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 Speech
Many of the words spoken by the cat at
the beginning of the story have an
upbeat connotative meaning.

But we can have

Lots of fun that is
funny! (7).
What does this tell us about the cat?

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Thoughts These are the thoughts of the narrator as he
stares out the window on a rainy day.

So all we could do was to

Sit!
Sit!
Sit!
Sit!
And we did not like it.
Not one little bit (3).
What does this tell us about the narrator?

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Effect on Others
Throughout the first of the
story, three different
illustrations portray the fish
scowling at the cat
immediately after each of the
cats activities.

When the cat returns to clean

up his mess at the end of the
story, the fish is shown with a
smile.

What does this tell us about the cat?

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Actions
The cat engages in UP-UP-UP with a
fish (18).

Then, later in the story, the cat releases

two things that fly kites in the house.

What does this tell us about the cat?

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 Looks
Throughout the first of the story,
the cat is shown with a smile on his
face.

Towards the end of the story,

however, when the cat is told to
leave, he is shown leaving the
house with slumped shoulders and
a sad face.

What does this tell us about the cat?

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Plot

the structure of a story;

the arrangement of events and actions
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 Climax: the turning point; the most intense
moment either in emotion or in action

Rising Action: Falling Action: all

series of conflicts of the action that
that lead to the follows the climax
climax

Exposition: the start of the story; Resolution: the conclusion; loose ends
introduction of setting, characters, are wrapped up
conflict

Plot Components www.readwritethink.org

 Flashback
events that happened before
the time of the current story

memories
dreams
and stories told
by characters

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 hints and clues
Foreshadowing suggesting what will
happen later in the
story
often used to build
suspense or tension in a
story

What does this suggest is

going to happen?

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 Conflict = Plot

The dramatic struggle between

two forces in a story.
Without Conflict, there would be no plot.

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External Conflict
1. Character vs. Character
2. Character vs. Nature
3. Character vs. Society
4. Character vs. Fate or Time

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INTERNAL CONFLICT Character vs. Self
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 Point
Of
View
The perspective from
which the story is
told.

Who is telling the story? How do we know what is

happening?

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First-Person POV the thoughts and perspective
of one main character
As I walked up the hill, I
realized that the

Point of View Examples Copyright 2003 Leigh Michaels

atmosphere was just too
quiet. There was no sound
from the cardinal who was
nearly always singing from
the top of the maple tree.
I thought I saw a shadow
move high up on the
slope, but when I looked
again it was gone. Still, I
shuddered as I felt a silent
threat pass over me like a
cloud over the sun.
 Third-Person POV
Third-Person Limited
thoughts and perspective of one
main character
As she walked up the hill, she
realized that the atmosphere was just too
quiet. There was no sound from the
cardinal who she so often heard singing
from the top of the maple tree. She
thought she saw a shadow move high up
on the slope, but when she looked again it
was gone. Nevertheless, she shuddered as
she felt a silent threat pass over her. It felt
like a cloud creeping over the sun.
Point of View ExamplesC opyright 2003 Leigh Michaels
As the girl walked up the hill, she
realized that the atmosphere was just
too quiet.
The cardinal tipped his head back
and drew breath to sing, but just as the
first note passed his beak he heard the
crack of a dead branch far below his
perch high in the maple tree. Startled, he
looked down, cocking his head to one
side and watching with great interest
while the man rattled the blades of grass
as he tried to hide himself behind the
tree.
Third-Person Omniscient
all-knowing; thoughts and perspective
of all characters
 Third-Person Objective
journalists point of view
The girl walked up the quiet
hillside.

Point of View Examples Copyright 2003 Leigh Michaels

In the top of the maple tree, the
cardinal tipped his head back and drew
breath to sing. A dead branch cracked
on the ground below the bird's perch.

The man stepped on the branch and

rattled the blades of grass as he moved
behind the tree. He watched the girl
come up the hillside toward him.

Her gaze shifted quickly and warily from

one shadowy area high on the slope to
another, and she shuddered.

facts without thoughts and feelings

Theme
Central idea or
message of the
story
Insight into the
human condition
Can be either
stated or implied
THEME STATEMENT (not a topic)
Topic = Trust
Theme = Trust can never be regained
once it is lost.
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