Elememnts of A Short Story

ELEMENTS OF
SHORT STORIES
Dr. Collen Sabao
1. Setting
The setting is the place where the story takes
place. Setting includes the following:
• The geographical location. For example: London, Cairo,

Windhoek, Vancouver etc
• The time period. For example: 1865, during WWII, today
• The socio-economic characteristics of the location. For
example: wealthy suburbs, poor neighbourhood
• The specific building, room etc. For example: a prep
school, a log cabin, a bus, a military base
2. Characters
The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as

people) appearing in a literary work.
• Round Characters are convincing, true to life. Have many
different and sometimes even contradictory personality
traits.
• Dynamic Characters undergo some type of change or
development in story, often because of something that
happens to them
• Flat Characters are stereotyped, shallow, and often
symbolic. Have only one or two personality traits
• Static Characters do not change in the course of the story
Characters
• Protagonist: The main character in a literary
work (for instance, Charles in “Here There Be
Tygers” or Cinderella or Snow White in the fairy
tales named for their characters
• Antagonist: The character who opposes the
protagonist (for instance, the wicked
stepmothers in the fairy tales)
Methods of Characterization
Direct Characterization: The author develops the

personality of a character by direct statements.
Indirect Characterization: Revealing a character’s
personality through:
• The character’s thoughts, words, and actions
• The comments of other characters
• The character’s physical appearance
3. Plot
Plot is how the author arranges events to develop

his/her basic idea. It is the sequence of events in a
story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series
of events having a beginning, middle and end.
Plot Components
• Introduction: The start of the story, the situation before
the action starts – THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
• Rising Action: The series of conflicts and crisis in the
story that lead to the climax
• Climax / Turning Point: The most intense moment –
either mentally or in action – the reader wonders what will
happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
• Falling Action: The events and complications begin to
resolve themselves. (The events between the climax and
the resolution)
• Resolution/Denouement: The conclusion, the untangling
of events in the story
Plot: Conflict
Conflict is the dramatic
struggle between two
forces in a story.
Without conflict
there is no plot.
Plot: Types of Conflict
Interpersonal Conflict Internal Conflict

• Human vs. Human • Human vs. Self
• Human vs. Nature
• Human vs. Society
4. Point of View
The angle or perspective from which the story is
told.
• Who is telling the story?
For instance, is it a player on the home team or
someone watching the game?
• How do we know what is happening?
For instance, does a character tell us?
First Person Point of View
• Told from the viewpoint of one of the

characters, using the first person
pronoun “I”.
• Innocent Eye: The story is told through the eyes
of a child (his/her judgment being different
from that of an adult).
Stream of Consciousness: The story is told so
that the reader feels as if they are inside the
head of one character and knows all their
thoughts and reactions.
Second Person Point of View
• The main character in the story is referred

to using the second person pronoun
“you”.
Third Person Point of View
• The story is told using a narrator who is located
outside of the action of the story and uses third
person pronouns such as “he”, “she”, “his”, “her”,
“they” etc.
Third Person Point of View can be broken up into
three different types:
• Omniscient
• Limited Omniscient
• Objective
Omniscient Point of View
• The narrator has the power to show the

reader what is happening though a number
of characters’ eyes.
Limited Omniscient Point of View
• Third person, told from the viewpoint of a

character in the story.
Objective Point of View
• Third person, told as if from a camera that

follows the characters. Only what is said
and done is recorded.
5. Theme
• Theme is the central idea or central message of

the story.
• It usually contains some insight into the human
condition – telling something about humans and
life.
• The theme can be stated directly or implied by
the events and actions in the story.
6. STYLE
Refers to the expressive choices the author makes at the
level of language and other linguistic elements
Types of Irony
• Verbal Irony: This is the contrast between what is said and what
is meant. In other words: sarcasm.
• Dramatic Irony: This is the contrast between what the character
thinks to be true and what we (the reader) know to be
true. Sometimes as we read we are placed in the position of
knowing more than what one character knows. Because we know
something the character does not, we read to discover how the
character will react when he or she learns the truth of the
situation.
• Situational Irony: This is the most common in literature. It is
the contrast between what happens and what was expected (or
what would seem appropriate). Because it emerges from the
events and circumstances of a story it is often more subtle and
effective than verbal or dramatic irony.
7. Symbolism
A symbol represents an idea, quality, or
concept larger than itself.
• A journey can symbolize • A lion can be

life a symbol of
courage.
• Water may represent • A red rose

cleanliness can
and renewal represent
love.
8. Flashback
• This is a writers’ technique in which the author
interrupts the plot of the story to recreate an incident
of an earlier time (goes back in time; like giving the
reader a memory). This device is often used to
provide additional information to the reader.
ASANTE
SANA
8. Foreshadowing
• A writers’ technique in which the author
provides clues or hints as to what is going to
happen later in the story. It’s like the music
in a scary movie when we know that
something bad is about to happen.

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ELEMENTS OF

• The geographical location. For example: London, Cairo,

The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as

Direct Characterization: The author develops the

Plot is how the author arranges events to develop

Interpersonal Conflict Internal Conflict

• Told from the viewpoint of one of the

• The main character in the story is referred

• The narrator has the power to show the

• Third person, told from the viewpoint of a

• Third person, told as if from a camera that

• Theme is the central idea or central message of

• A journey can symbolize • A lion can be

• Water may represent • A red rose

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