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Short Stories: Characteristics
•Short - Can usually be read in one
sitting. •Concise: Information offered in the story is relevant
to the tale being told. This
is unlike a novel, where the story can diverge from the main plot •Usually tries to leave behind a single impression
or effect. Usually, though
not always built around one character, place, idea, or act. •Because they are concise, writers depend on the
reader bringing personal experiences and prior knowledge
to the story.
Four Major components of the Short Story
•PLOT •SETTING •CHARACTERS •THEME #1 PLOT •The action that takes place in the story. It is a series of connected happenings and
their result. In order to have
a result, we must have an initial event, or conflict.
Stages of a Plot
•Introduction of characters • The situation: Initial conflict •The generating circumstances, which create a •Rising action – heightened anticipation for the
reader •Climax •Falling action
and Conclusion. These
two are also known as a denouement.
Short stories usually have properties like the
following: •Dramatic conflict. Usually the basis of the story.
Source of the problems which may or may not be overcome in the
climax. •Foreshadowing.
May be used to leave clues in the story to lure readers to try
to predict the ending. •Repetition. At
the least, it helps drive home a point. It can also be used to create
other literary devices. •Suspense. Draws readers to the work.
#2 SETTING The background against which the
incidents of the story take place.
Not merely a place, it includes the place where, the time when,
and social conditions under which the story moves along. This can include atmosphere , the tone and
feeling of a story, i.e. gloomy, cheery, etc. In one form or another, setting is essential to the story. Often, the relevance of the story is lost in another setting.
#3 CHARACTERS There must be living beings in the story that think
or act in order to keep the story going.
They must seem like living and feeling individuals in order for
us to feel strongly about them
The worst thing that could happen for is writer
is that you feel indifferent toward the characters.If we don’t care
for the characters, we are not inclined to keep reading.
FOUR METHODS OF PRESENTING A CHARACTER:
•Actions or thoughts of the character. •Conversations the character engages in. •conversations of other characters about a third
character. •Author’s own opinion. This might be overt, or may be implied.
Points of View: Presentation of a Story •Author
Omniscient (all knowing, all seeing).
This is a third person
point of view. The omniscient
author, writing in third person, sees whatever he wants to see, inside
or outside his character, in privacy or public, and interprets as he
chooses. •Author
participant (first person).
The author may be the main character, or could be a secondary
character. •Author
as an observer (3rd, person).
Involves objective treatment, as though the story teller had
no inner sight into the character’s thinking or behaviour. •Multiple
story tellers (3rd. Person).
#4 Theme The total meaning of the story. IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE TIED UP IN A SIMPLE
MORAL.
Sometimes the theme is stated, sometimes it is
only implied. In other stories, the theme may be a direct
refutation of a traditional theme. |