Short Stories: General

Short Story: A fictional tale of a length that is too short to publish in a single volume like a
novel. Short stories are usually between five and sixty pages; as a result, they can be read in a
single sitting. Usually, short stories concentrate on a single event with only one or two
characters. The short story has three elements: plot, characterization, and setting. In addition,
short stories also contain other devices/features including: theme, conflict, point of view,
suspense, foreshadowing, flashback, deus ex machina, and in medias res. Theme is so vital to
the short story, however, that some critics consider it the fourth element, rather than a device
or feature.

Short Story Elements

A. Plot: The events of the story or the series of actions that make up the story are referred to
as the plot. Basically, the plot is what happens in the story. Traditionally, it is divided into
five parts.

1. Introduction: The reader meets the characters and discovers the setting. Reader
interest is aroused here. The conflict that drives the story’s action is discovered at the
end of the introduction, with the initiating incident.
2. Rising action: Builds up the story (the longest part)— a series of steps that lead to the
climax. You get more information about conflict and character here.
3. Climax: Here, the reader finds out what happens to the conflict, or how the conflict
might be resolved. The story may not yet be finished, but the reader now has a good
understanding of what way it is going to go.
4. Falling Action: The plot begins to wrap up in this section of the story, which is
usually brief.
5. Denouement/Conclusion/Resolution: This part follows quickly after the climax and
provides the last pieces of information for the reader. “Denouement” is French for
“unknotting”; you may therefore think of denouement as the “unknotting” or
“untangling” of the plot. Other words for denouement are conclusion or resolution
(think about it as the resolution of the climax). However, not all conclusions provide
resolution.

5.A. There are four types of conclusions and they have a variety of names:

1. Expository Happy: All loose ends are tied up and explained and the ending is happy.
2. Expository Sad: All loose ends are tied up and explained and the ending is sad.
3. Surprise or Twist: Something happens that the reader does not expect at all.
4. Unresolved/Indeterminate/Cliffhanger: The reader is left with questions and has to, in
part, supply the ending him or herself. Some loose ends are left to dangle.

5.B. Anti-Climax: A dull or disappointing ending to something after increasing excitement.

For example: After the weeks of preparation, the concert itself was a bit of an anticlimax. In
connection to a story or novel, it means an ending that doesn’t measure up to the plot events
that precede it (the ending is anti-climactic).

Plot Diagram: Also known as Freytag’s Pyramid, the story diagram or plot diagram, was
invented in 1864 by Gustav Freytag to visually represent the five plot parts and their
relationship with one another. Modern stories may or may not tidily fit Freytag’s Pyramid.
B. Characterization: The collection of characters, or people, in a short story is called its
characterization. A character, of course, is usually a person in a story, but it can also be an
animal (think about Flounder the fish in Disney’s Ariel or Simba in Disney’s The Lion King
or the dogs in 8 Below).

Character Types:

 Protagonist: The main character in the story. The protagonist is usually, but not
always, a “good guy.”
 Antagonist: The force against the protagonist. The antagonist is usually another
character, but not always, especially if the conflict is “person against self.” The
antagonist is usually described as “the bad guy,” although that description doesn’t
work if the conflict is person against self or person against environment.
 Flat: This is a minor character with one or maybe two sides to the personality. These
characters might not seem very realistic or life-like because so little is known about
them.
 Round: These characters are believable and complex people with several sides to their
personality. They are lifelike and behave like real people would, if real people were in
those same situations.
 Dynamic: Also known as a kinetic character, a dynamic character changes in some
important way because of plot events. For example: a cruel old man might see the
error of his ways and become generous and kind, or a gentle girl becomes vicious and
angry because her parents divorce.
 Static: These characters are the opposite of dynamic characters. These people don’t
change through the course of a story. They have the same personality throughout.
 Stereotypical: Also known as stock, these characters are people who are easily
recognized as “types”. It wouldn’t matter in which story they appear, they are always
the same. For example, the old witch-like woman, the geeky scientist, the airhead, and
the dumb jock characters are all stereotypical, or stock, characters. In this sense, they
are also clichés.* (A cliché is an over-used expression, like “light as a feather,” or an
over-used idea, like the stereotypical characters just discussed.)
 Character Foil: A character foil, or simply “foil”, occurs when two characters balance
each other in some way; they are almost like two halves of a whole person. This is
when a character is portrayed as opposite of another character in a particular way. By
putting the two characters next to each other, the different characteristic is
emphasized. This helps readers recognize particular characteristics. A good person
might be a foil for an evil person, for example.
 Caricature: A character in a piece of literature who has very exaggerated
characteristics, usually for comic effect. In a way, a caricature is an extreme form of
stereotype (NT).

Character Analysis: The author may choose any of six ways to reveal a character to the
reader. The reader must therefore be prepared to watch for “clues” about each character in
these same six ways:

1. Physical appearance
2. Things the character says
3. Things the character does (actions)
4. Things the character thinks
5. Things other characters say about the character
 6. Author information

Character Sketch: A character sketch is a description of a character’s moral and personality

qualities, written in paragraph form with specific examples from the story in question.
Usually, the character terms (see above) are used in the course of the description. Physical
appearance and dress (if showing something about personality) are sometimes described as
well.

C. Setting: The author may choose to state the setting clearly or leave it to the reader to infer
from textual clues (such as weather). There are two parts to a complete setting: emotional and
physical. The mood* (or atmosphere*) of a story is the emotional setting, so readers need to
concentrate on words that evoke feeling and emotion. The time, place, and season comprise
the physical setting, so readers need to concentrate on words that describe physical details.

Short Story Devices and Features

A. Theme*: The message of the story, stated in one or two complete sentences. When a
person describes a story’s theme, the person is describing what can be learned about life
and/or people from the story. Theme is so important, it is often described as the fourth
element of the short story. Sometimes theme is confused with “the moral” of the story. Also,
do not confuse theme with ‘the topic’ which is the subject a piece of writing is about. For
example, the topic of Scooby Doo is solving mysteries, yet one theme of Scooby Doo is that
good triumphs over evil.

Common themes include (but are not limited to):

Abandonment, Alienation, Ambition, American Dream, Birth/Childhood, Coming of Age,
Commoditization, Commercialism, Commerce, Community, Cruelty, Death, Education,
Ethics, Experience, Fall from Grace, Family, Fate, Freedom, Futility, Gender, Grief, Growth
and initiation, Guilt, Heroism, Hope, Human relations, Identity, Illness, Individual & Nature,
Individual & Society, Individual & God, Innocence, Isolation, Journey & Struggle, Justice,
Love & Friendship, Memory, Nationalism, Nature, Oppression, Parenthood, Pride, Race,
Regret, Rejection, Religion, Responsibility, Revenge, Sacrifice, Science & Technology, Sex
& Sensuality, Social Class, Spirituality, Stages of Life, Success, Suffering, Survival, Time,
Tradition, Violence, Work.

It has been argued that there are anywhere between 3 and 40 main themes in literature that
continue to be explored by each successive generation of writers. No one knows for what the
real number is—it depends on who you ask—but below is a list, not necessarily inclusive, of
the most common ones. There are many variations, and there are often overlaps as well. So,
right or wrong, in no particular order, here they are.

1. Man Struggles Against Nature: Man is always at battle with human nature, whether
the drives described are sexual, material or against the aging process itself.
2. Man Struggles Against Societal Pressure: Mankind is always struggling to determine
if societal pressure is best for living. Check out books like Revolutionary Road or
Mrs. Dalloway for examples of characters who know how society says they should
live, but feel society’s dictation is contrary to what makes them happy.
3. Man Strugg

les Against Fate: Mankind’s struggle to fight fate and win, or fate’s ability to impose itself, is
a common theme explored in literature, such as in Oedipus the King, Hamlet, and Macbeth.
4. The Quest for Identity: This theme can include coming-of-age stories where characters
discover their place in the world.
5. The Loss of Innocence: Characters who confront the harsh realities of the world and their
experiences mark a common theme.
6. The Power of Love: Love’s ability to heal, destroy, or transform characters is a frequent
theme.
7. Good vs Evil: The battle between good and evil forces, both external and internal.
8. Revenge and Justice: Stories exploring the consequences of revenge or the pursuit of
justice.
9. The Corrupting Influence of Power: How power affects individuals and societies.
10. Alienation and Isolation: Characters feeling estranged from society or themselves.
11. The Search for Freedom: Both physical freedom and freedom of the mind or spirit.
12. The Importance of Family and Relationships: How family dynamics influence characters.
13. The Role of Technology: How advancements impact humanity.
14. The Nature of Reality and Perception: Exploring what is real and how perception shapes
reality.
15. The Cycle of Life and Death: The inevitability and meaning of life and death.

B. Conflict: The main problem in the story is known as the conflict. It usually concerns the
protagonist, or main character. Without conflict, a story would be dull and boring because
nothing would be happening.

Five Types of Conflict in Literature:

1. Man vs Man: The main character fights with another person or persons.
2. Man vs Nature: The main character fights against natural forces.
3. Man vs Society: The main character fights against some element of society.
4. Man vs Self: The main character must overcome his/her own nature or inner conflict.
5. Man vs Fate or Supernatural: The main character struggles against fate or a
supernatural force (such as ghosts or gods).

C. Point of View (POV): This refers to the angle or vantage point from which the story is
told. Some stories are told in first person, and others in third person.

1. First Person: The narrator is a character in the story. Uses “I,” “me,” “my.”
2. Third Person Limited: The narrator is not a character in the story and knows the
thoughts and feelings of only one character. Uses “he,” “she,” “they.”
3. Third Person Omniscient: The narrator is not a character in the story but knows
everything about all characters, their thoughts, feelings, and actions.
4. Second Person: The narrator addresses the reader as “you.” This is rare in fiction.

D. Suspense: The feeling of anxiety or excitement about what is going to happen next.
Suspense keeps the reader reading.

E. Foreshadowing: Clues or hints about what will happen later in the story.

F. Flashback: A scene that interrupts the present action to show something that happened
earlier.
G. Deus ex Machina: A plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly
and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence.

H. In Medias Res: A narrative technique where the story begins in the middle of the action
rather than at the beginning.