Introduction
A short story is a short work of fiction. Fiction, as you know, is prose writing about imagined events and characters. Prose writing differs from poetry in that it does not depend on verses, meters or rhymes for its organization and presentation.
Novels are another example of fictional prose and are much longer than short stories. Some short stories, however, can be quite long. If a a short story is a long one, say fifty to one hundred pages, we call it a novella.
American literature contains some of the world's best examples of the short story. Readers around the world enjoy the finely crafted stories of American writers such as O. Henry, Stephen Crane, Jack London, Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe.
What makes these authors such remarkable story writers? They are true masters at combining the five key elements that go into every great short story: character, setting, conflict, plot and theme.
Task
1.What are the five important elements of a short story?2.Identify the elements of the story, The Green Door by O. Henry3.Acquire new words in the story and use each in sentence.4.Put in sequence the events in the story.5.Write a summary of the story that includes the characters, setting, conflict and resolution.
Process
*Short Story Elements
The site includes a detailed discussion of the important elements of a short story.
http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/engramja/elements.html
*Examples of a Short Story
The site includes examples of short stories, including the author.
http://www.ciudadseva.com/sevacity/stories/en/henry/o_henry.htm
This site includes the story, “The Green Door” by O. Henry.
http://www.ciudadseva.com/sevacity/stories/en/henry/the_green_door.htm
Evaluation
In your quiz notebook, write a summary of the short story that includes the characters, setting, conflict and resolution.
Conclusion
A short story has been considered both an apprenticeship form preceding more lengthy works, and a crafted form in its own right, collected together in books of similar length, price, and distribution as novels.
Short story writers may define their works as part of the artistic and personal expression of the form. They may also attempt to resist categorization by genre and fixed form.