1 / 21

Five Elements of the Short Story

Five Elements of the Short Story. Plot Character Setting Atmosphere S tyle. The Five Elements: An Overview. Plot is the arrangement of incidents or events in a story: Exposition Initial (or inciting) incident Climax Falling action Final outcome (denouement). Plot.

gita
Download Presentation

Five Elements of the Short Story

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Five Elements of the Short Story

  2. Plot • Character • Setting • Atmosphere • Style The Five Elements: An Overview

  3. Plot is the arrangement of incidents or events in a story: • Exposition • Initial (or inciting) incident • Climax • Falling action • Final outcome (denouement) Plot

  4. Gives the background to the story • Introduction of characters • Setting • Antecedent action: describes important events that have taken place before the story starts. Exposition

  5. An event that “gets the ball rolling” • Incites or begins a conflict Initial Incident

  6. Events complicate the conflict • Conflict becomes more pronounced • But not yet the peak of the story Rising Action

  7. The peak of tension in the story • The “point of no return” • The moment of greatest suspense (if applicable) Climax

  8. Actions that lead to the resolution or final outcome • May be quite rapid in a short story Falling Action

  9. Denouement comes from the French words for “untying the knot” • Any loose ends are rapped up • A feeling of satisfaction or accomplishment should be created for readers Final Outcome (Denouement)

  10. There’s no story without characters • Protagonist: the main character of the story (not necessarily the “good guy” • E.g., Harry Potter • Antagonist: the person opposing the protagonist • E.g., Malfoy Character

  11. Flat character: doesn’t change during the course of the story; one-dimensional • E.g. Nigel • Round character: a character with many traits who changes through the story • E.g. Ron • Stock characters: a stereotyped character whom readers immediately recognize • The absent-minded professor, Sybill Trelawney Types of characters

  12. There are two main types of conflict a character may experience: • Internal: man vs. himself (an inner, moral struggle) • External: • Man vs. man • Man vs. society • Man vs. unknown • Man vs. the supernatural • Man vs. nature Character in Conflict

  13. There are two main ways readers learn about a character: • Direct Characterization: the author TELLS readers directly about the character • E.g., “Harry didn’t care for bananas. They gave him indigestion.” • Indirect characterization: the author SHOWS readers how a character may be Learning about Characters

  14. There are four key ways that an author SHOWS us what a character is like: • What the character says: “Ugh, I hate bananas. They give me gas.” • What the character thinks: Harry decided not to have a banana, remembering the unfortunate effects on his digestion. • What the character does: Harry passed over the bananas and reached for a peach. • What others say about the character: “Don’t let Harry have a banana. He’ll stink up the whole common room!” More on Indirect Characterization

  15. Things to look at when examining a character closely: • The character’s dialogue • What she says • What she thinks • What she does • What motivates her • Does her motivation change? Character Analysis

  16. The setting is WHERE and WHEN the story takes place. • The setting will have an important influence on the atmosphere. Setting

  17. Atmosphere is often considered part of the setting. • Setting often helps determine atmosphere. • A synonym for atmosphere is mood. • Usually established at the beginning of the story • Physical surroundings and even time can affect a character and the story’s mood. Atmosphere

  18. Factors that can help create atmosphere in a story: • Weather • Light or dark • Shadows or natural lighting • Colours • Furniture • Natural surroundings Atmosphere

  19. Style is the author’s way of expressing him/herself • It encompasses a number of elements: • Diction • Sentence structure • Point of view • Irony • Symbolism • Imagery • Figurative language Style

  20. Think of it as a person’s style. • Many elements make up personal style: • Clothing • Hair colour, length • Make up • Shoes • Way of speaking Style

  21. More on style later. • It’s a huge area to cover! Style

More Related