Major Aspects of the Short Story

Short Story- a brief, highly unified piece of narrative prose fiction. Short stories
usually involved fewer characters, less time, and employ a less complex plot than
the novel.

Hook- opening sentence/phrase that catches the readers’ attention

Imagery- use of the senses to involve the reader, able to create a picture of the
people, places, or events

Immediacy- feeling that the reader is involved in the story

Tone- the attitude a writer takes toward his or her subject, characters, and readers

Mood- how the reader reacts to the narrative

Plot: the arrangement of related incidents, details, and elements of conflict in a

story. Plot is divided into the following parts:
a. Exposition—background information for the story
b. Rising Action—complication and crisis; usually involves conflict,
adventure, or suspense
c. Climax—the most intense moment or event, usually occurring near a
major turning point
d. Falling Action—consequences of the climax
e. Denouement—resolution and conclusion

c.

b. d.
a. e.

Conflict: The conflict may be physical or mental; the interplay between two
opposing forces. Conflict is usually one of the central elements in the plot.
a. man vs. god (God, gods, etc.)
b. man vs. nature (storms, animals, etc.)
c. man vs. society (injustice, norms, etc.)
d. man vs. self (inner conflict)
e. man vs. man (conflict between people)

Point of View: the position from which the author tells the story
a. First person (I, me, us, my, our)
b. Third person observer (watching)
c. Third person omniscient (watching, all knowing)

Protagonist- main character of the story

Antagonist- the character that opposes the protagonist

Characterization: the technique an author uses to develop the personalities of his

fictional characters so they seem believable, act consistently and speak naturally
through:
a. Physical appearance
b. Thought, dialogue, actions
c. Opinions of other characters in the story

Setting: the time and place of the events in the story; the physical background
a. Identifies atmosphere of the story
b. Used to reflect the lifestyles and positions of characters

Theme: the main idea of a literary work, the general/universal truth behind the
story. Theme in many short stories is implied rather than stated.
a. The underlying message(s) of the story
b. Comments on human nature

Symbol- something relatively concrete (object, action, character, or scene) that

signifies something abstract such as a concept or idea

Irony- a statement or situation that is the opposite of what is expected.

Verbal irony refers to a statement that says the opposite of what is meant.
Situational Irony is a happening or situation contrary to what is expected.

Foreshadowing- hints by the author of the events to occur later in the story