Short Story Literary Elements

What is a short story?A short story is a brief work

of fiction.

Elements of a Short StoryPlotSettingCharacterizationPoint of ViewTheme

PlotThe sequence of events in

a literary work

Plot Structure Exposition – introduces the setting,

the characters and the basic situation Inciting Incident – introduces the

central conflict Rising Action – events leading up to

the climax

Climax – high point of interest or suspense

Falling Action – events after the climax that lead to the resolution

Resolution (Denouement) – general insight or change is conveyed

SettingThe setting is the time and

place of the action.

TimeTime can include not only

the historical period – past, present, future – but also a specific year, season or time of day.

PlacePlace may involve not only the

geographical place – a region, country, state, or town – but also the social, economic or cultural environment.

CharactersA character is a person or animal

that takes part in the action of a literary work.

Protagonist The main character, or protagonist, is

the most important character in a story.

This character often changes in some important way as a result of the story’s events.

Antagonist An antagonist is the character or

force in conflict with the protagonist.

CharacterizationCharacterization is the act of

creating and developing a character.

Direct Characterization In direct characterization, the

author directly states a character’s traits.

Indirect Characterization In indirect characterization, an author

provides clues about a character by describing what a character looks like, does and says, as well as how other characters react to him/her.

It is up to the reader to draw conclusions.

Point of ViewThe writer’s choice of narrator

determines the story’s point of view, which directs the type and amount of information the writer reveals.

First PersonWhen a character in the story

tells the story, that character is a first person narrator.

First Person This person may be a major

character, a minor character, or just a witness.

Readers see only what this character sees.

The first person narrator may or may not be reliable.

Third PersonWhen a voice outside the story

narrates, the story has a third person narrator.

Third Person OmniscientAn omniscient, or all-knowing

third person narrator can tell readers what any character thinks or feels.

Third Person LimitedA limited third person narrator

sees the world through one character’s eyes and reveals only that character’s thoughts.

ThemeThe theme is the central

message or insight into life revealed in a literary work.

More Elements Conflict Foreshadowing Mood Irony Symbol

Conflict A conflict is a struggle between

opposing forces. Characters in conflict form the basis

of short stories, novels, and plays.

External Conflict In an external conflict, the main

character struggles against an outside force: Another character Societal standards or expectations Nature

Internal ConflictThe character is in conflict with

him/herself.

Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is the use of clues

that suggest events that have yet to occur.

This technique creates suspense, keeping readers wondering what will happen next.

Mood Mood is the feeling created in the

reader by a literary work or passage. The mood is often suggested by

descriptive details.

Irony Irony is the general term for literary

techniques that portray differences between appearance and reality, or expectation and result.

Verbal IronyWords suggest the opposite of

what is meant

Dramatic Irony There is a contradiction between

what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true.

Situational Irony An event occurs that directly

contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience.

Symbol A symbol is anything that stands for

something else. In addition to having it’s own

meaning, a symbol also represents abstract ideas.