Elements of Literature in Short Stories

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Elements of Literature in Short Stories
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What is a short story?

• The short story is a work of fiction that is
  shorter and more limited than the novel.
• It usually focuses on one important event in the
  lives of a small number of central characters.
• Short stories vary in length but are usually
  short enough to be able to be read in one
  sitting.

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Plot

• Series of related events that make-up the story

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Elements of Plot

• Exposition The actions that help the story begin
• Turning Point the initial problem which begins
  the storys plot
• Rising Action story becomes more complicated
  (more problems/conflicts)
• Conflict struggle between two opposing forces
• Climax high point of the story
• Falling Action events that lead to a solution
• Resolution the outcome of the problem

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Flashback

• When the author inserts an earlier event

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Foreshadowing

• An authors use of hints or clues to suggest
  events that will occur later in the story. Not
  all foreshadowing is obvious. Frequently, future
  events are merely hinted at through dialogue,
  description, or the attitudes and reactions of
  the characters.

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Conflict

• Struggle between two opposing forces

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Man vs. Himself

• Internal struggle concerning emotion and decision

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Man vs. Man

• An external struggle between two or more
  individuals

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Man vs. Nature

• External struggle between man and an element of
  nature

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Man vs. Machine

• External conflict between man and a machine

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Setting

• When and where the story takes place

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Protagonist The main character in a story, the
one with whom the reader is meant to identify.
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Antagonist

• Counterpart to the main character and source of a
  storys main conflict.

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Point of View

• Who is speaking who is telling the story
• Four major point of views

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Mood

• The climate of  feeling in a literary work. The
  choice of setting, objects, details, images, and
  words all contribute towards creating a specific
  mood. For example, an author may create a mood of
  mystery around a character or setting but may
  treat that character or setting in an ironic,
  serious, or humorous tone

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Suspense

• The uncertainty or anxiety we feel about what is
  going to happen next

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Irony

• A situation in a story that turns out to be the
  opposite of what we expected.
• Types of irony
• Verbal- what is said is the opposite from what is
  meant
• Situational- what happens is very different from
  what is expected
• Dramatic- what the reader knows to be true is
  different from what the character knows