Short Story Elements Flashcards
Five parts of setting
- Place
- Time
- Weather conditions
- Social conditions
- Mood or atmosphere
The characteristics of a person
Individual, developing, or static
Individual characteristic
Round, many sided and complex personalities
Developing characteristic
Dynamic, many sides personalities that change, for better or worse, by the end of the story e.g. Scrooge
Static characteristic
Stereotype, have one or two characteristics that never change and are emphasized
Two types of conflict
External - a struggle with a force outside one’s self
Internal - a struggle within one’s self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.
Four kinds of conflict
Man vs. Man (physical)
Man vs. Circumstances (classical)
Man vs. Society (social)
Man vs. Self (psychological)
Man vs. Man (physical)
The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other characters, forces of nature, or animals
Man vs. Circumstances (classical)
The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/ her
Man vs. Society (social)
The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people
Man vs. Self (psychological)
The leading character struggles with himself/ herself; his/ her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.
Lead In (opening)
The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.
Rising Action
This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the
story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).
Climax
This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. 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 reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between climax and denouement).
Resolution
This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.
Five types of Point of View
- Innocent Eye
- Stream of Consciousness
- First Person
- Second Person
- Third Person Omniscient
Innocent Eye
Through the eyes of a child (his/her judgment being
different than that of an adult)
Stream of Consciousness
Inside the head - knows all thoughts and reactions
First Person
Told by the protagonist or one of the characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc). Reader sees story through this person’s eyes as he/she experiences it, BUT only knows what he/she knows or feels
Second Person
Addresses the reader (using pronouns such as you, your, yours, etc)
Third Person Omniscient
Author can move from character to character, event to event, having free access to the thoughts, feelings and motivations of characters; author introduces information where and when he or she chooses (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc)
There are two main types of omniscient point of view:
a) Omniscient Limited - We know only what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author chooses to reveal them to us.
b) Omniscient Objective - It appears as though a camera is following the characters, going anywhere, and recording only what is seen and heard. There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts. The reader interprets and infers.
Theme
The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight - the author’s underlying meaning or main idea that he/she is trying to convey. The theme may be the author’s thoughts about a topic or view of human nature (ex: chaos and order, death, everlasting love, motherhood, the superciliousness of youth, good vs. evil, etc.)
Symbolism
Something that is itself and yet also represents something else, like an idea (ex: skull symbolising death).
Pathos
Pathos occurs when the author expresses thoughts and feelings in a way that evokes pity or compassion.
Mood
The prevailing emotions of a work or of the author in his or her creation of the work. The mood of a work is not always what might be expected based on its subject matter.
