Short Story Elements

Question 0

Draw diagram of short story

Answer 0

Refer to sheet

Question 1

Three types of short story endings

Answer 1

Surprise or shock(not the same)
Unfinished (cliffhanger)
Natural(events are tied up neatly)

Question 2

What is the most common short story ending

Answer 2

Surprise or shock ending

Question 3

What does the opening of short stories state

Answer 3

• sets the scene
• intro the main character
• arouses the interest of the reader
• presents the situation to the reader

Question 4

Complicating incident

Answer 4

What event triggers the conflict. Calls for some action from the central character

Question 5

Climax

Answer 5

• highest point of tension
• turning point which reveals the success or failure of the protagonists fate
• resolves the conflict

Question 6

The author’s style

Answer 6

Short stories rely on theme, setting, plot or conflict. Others rely on humour or exaggeration.

Question 7

What is a key ingredient to short stories

Answer 7

Suspense

Question 8

What are Edgar Allan Poe’s principles?

Answer 8

• one sitting
• one event
• first sentence grabs the readers attention
• characters are necessary to the effect
  Story should end in climax
  Every word contributes to the planned effect

Question 9

When was short story invented?

Answer 9

Nineteenth century

Question 10

Escape lit

Answer 10

Takes us away from the real word. Able to forget about your problems.ex. Sci-fi, horror

Question 11

Interpretive lit

Answer 11

Takes you deeper into the real world. Helps you understand your problems. Romance, mystery

Question 12

Plot

Answer 12

Events that make up the story

Question 13

Conflict

Answer 13

A clash of action, ideas, desires, or wills. The main character maybe pitted against a person or group(manvsman). The conflict maybe an external force-physical nature, society, fate (manvsenvironment). The conflict maybe an element of his own nature( manvshimself). The conflict maybe mental, physical, emotional, moral

Question 14

Protagonist

Answer 14

The central character in the conflict, maybe a sympathetic or unsympathetic person

Question 15

Antagonist

Answer 15

Forces against the protagonists. Whether persons, things, conventions of society, or traits of his own character

Question 16

Suspense

Answer 16

The feeling of wanting to know what’s going to happen next. Two common device used are mystery& dilemma. Mystery is a crave for an explanation. Dilemma is a position which he must choose between two courses of action, both undesirable.

Question 17

Surprise

Answer 17

Sudden turn or twist

Question 18

Artistic unity

Answer 18

Essential to a good plot. There must be nothing in the story which is irrelevant

Question 19

Flat character

Answer 19

A person with one or two traits. Can be explained in one sentence

Question 20

Round character

Answer 20

Takes a paragraph to explain. Complex and many-sided. Short stories will hardly have room for more than 1 or 2

Question 21

Static character

Answer 21

A person that remains the same throughout the story

Question 22

Stock character

Answer 22

Stereotyped figure that occurs so often in fiction that his nature is already known

Question 23

Developing character

Answer 23

A character that changes his character, personality, or outlook. The change maybe big or small, for better or for worse

Question 24

Theme

Answer 24

Generalization about life stated or implied by the story. The purpose of the story-what view of life it supports or what insight into life it reveals. Not all stories have a theme. Theme exist in interpretive but only in some escape lit.

Question 25

Point of view

Answer 25

Who’s telling he story

Question 26

Omniscient point of view

Answer 26

3rd person, inside the heads of all the characters.

Question 27

Limited character

Answer 27

3rd person, inside the head of one character only

Question 28

first person

Answer 28

The authors disappears into one of the character. Shares the virtues and limitations of the limited omniscient.

Question 29

Objective

Answer 29

Inside nobody’s head.

Question 30

Symbol

Answer 30

A literary symbol means more than what it actually is,. It is an object, person, situation , an action, or some other item.

Question 31

Irony

Answer 31

When the opposite of you expect to happen, happens

Question 32

Verbal irony

Answer 32

What the person says, is not actually what it means

Question 33

Dramatic irony

Answer 33

The reader knows more then the character

Question 34

Irony of situation

Answer 34

Discrepancy between what is and what would seem appropriate. This irony not only emphasizes the diversity of human character