Day 2: Short Story Elements

Introduction

A short story is fictional work of prose that is shorter in length than a novel. Edgar Allan Poe, in his essay "The Philosophy of Composition," said that a short story should be read in one sitting, anywhere from a half hour to two hours. In contemporary fiction, a short story can range from 1,000 to 20,000 words.


Because of the shorter length, a short story usually focuses on one plot, one main character (with a few additional minor characters), and one central theme, whereas a novel can tackle multiple plots and themes, with a variety of prominent characters. In this unit, we will be studying some of my favorite short story authors such as: Guy de Maupassant, Richard Connell, Roald Dahl, Edgar Allan Poe, Anton Chekhov, etc. to name a few.

What makes these authors such remarkable short story writers? They are true masters at combining the five key elements that go into every great short story: character, setting, plot, theme and conflict.

Today, we will strictly focus on character, setting, plot and theme.  

 

Task

Today, you're going to take notes on the short story terms you were introduced to yesterday.  For this assignment, you will need your notebook and something to write with.  However, you are also welcome to copy and paste information into a word document should you choose.

Remember, the definitons are due at the end of class TODAY and as always, HAVE FUN!

Process

  1. theme 

  2. character

    1. round

    2. dynamic

    3. flat

    4. static

  3. plot

    1. Introduction

    2. Rising Action

    3. Climax

    4. Falling action

    5. Denouement

  4. setting

    1. place

    2. time

    3. weather conditions

    4. social conditions

    5. mood/atmosphere
Evaluation