Short Story

Short Story
History and Types

A Brief History
• In English Literature, the Short Story genre is a new-

comer.
• Unlike dramas, novels, and essays, short stories
developed as a genre in the19th century.
• They are concise, yet complete. They deserve to be
studied as a separate genre.
The precursor
• In American literature, folktales were the precursor

to modern short stories.
• One great American author was famous for this style:
Washington Irving.
• He lived from 1783-1859
Edgar Allan Poe
• Poe is considered the father of the short story.

• He perfected the technique of writing short stories.
• He wrote mostly suspense and horror short stories.
• His work is considered part of the Gothic
movement, and as such, many of his works feature
themes of death, premature burial, and the
reanimation of the dead.
• Poe lived from 1809-1849.
O Henry
• Another famous short story writer was O Henry.

• Real name: William Sydney Porter
• Prolific writer: 300 short stories
• His trademark is the “surprise ending”.
• One of his works is “The Gift of the Magi”.
• O Henry lived from 1862-1910.
Plot
Plot
Plot is the carefully worked-out sequence of related events or actions in a story. A plot
has a structure-- that is, all the individual parts of the story are arranged and
interrelated in order to lead to a satisfying conclusion.
The traditional plot-line

The plot of a traditional story is usually developed following this sequence:
Exposition (setting)
↓
Rising action (conflicts)
↓
Climax
↓
Falling action
↓
Resolution (denouement)
[Modern short stories are less stereotyped, usually with no formal exposition. ]
Exposition
Exposition is the section in the traditional plot

structure which gives the readers important
background information, or setting, telling the
reader information about Time (when), Place
(where), and Circumstances (how)
Setting
 A painting or a photograph is said to have a foreground and a
background. The foreground is that part of the scene that is nearest
to you. The background is that part of the scene that is toward the
back and that forms the surroundings for the images in the foreground.
 A short story, too, may be said to have a foreground and a background.
The main characters and the actions, which are of greatest interest to
the reader, form the foreground. The background of the story –the
time and place of the events and the circumstances that surround these
events--- is known as its setting.
 The setting which is presented effectively tends to make us believe in
fictional characters and events. Setting may do more than create an
illusion of reality. It may also be a means of revealing characters to us.
The environment in which a character lives may help us understand
that character’s motives and behavior.
Conflict
• In a short story, there is generally a problem or struggle
of some kind called a conflict.
• The conflict is the most important element in a plot. A
conflict can be external or internal.
• In a story, there may be a single conflict or there may be
several related conflicts.
• Conflict provides drama and drives the plot.
Climax
• Once the major conflict is established, the action of

a story moves toward a climax, the point of greatest
intensity.
• The climax determines how the story will turn out.
Falling Action and Resolution
• Falling action occurs after the climax and leads to the

resolution.
• Resolution refers to the final part of a story which makes
clear the outcome of the event.
• Many traditional stories include such a part for the writer
to give some rational explanation in order to lead the
reader to an expected understanding.
Elements of the Short Story
 Setting
 Characterization
 Plot
 Point of View:
 1st person: told by one of the characters who refers to himself/herself as “I”
 3rd person Limited: The narrator tells the story from a limited viewpoint of only one
character, speaking of the character as “he” or “she”.
 3rd person Omniscient: The author acts as an all-knowing narrator who stands outside
of the story. The omniscient narrator knows and can tell the reader everything,
including the thoughts and feelings of every character.
 Theme: the central idea of a story, poem, novel, or play, usually expressed as
a general statement about life. Themes are described in one or two words:
Good vs. Evil; Aging; Family Connections; Life and Death; Growing Up,
etc…
 Stated theme
 Implied theme
 Revealed through the events of a plot, and the resolution of the story’s conflict
 Revealed through a character’s experiences
Figurative Language
 Figurative Language is a tool in writing used to explain
something by relating it to something else. There are
several types of figurative language related to our study of
short stories:
 Metaphor: a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is
applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in
order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A mighty fortress is our
God.”
 Simile: a figure of speech in which two unlike things are
explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”
 Personification: the attribution of human nature or character to
animals, inanimate objects, or abstract notions, especially as a
rhetorical figure.
Literary Devices
 The following literary devices (or tools an author uses in his/her
writing) are important in our study of short stories:
 Dialogue: the conversation between characters in a novel, drama, etc.
 Foreshadowing: hinting throughout a story of an event that will occur.
 Conflict: the struggle which grows out of interplay of two opposing forces in
a plot, such as:
 Man/Woman against nature
 Man/Woman against another person
 Man/Woman against society
 Man/Woman
 Man/Woman against himself/herself
 Irony: an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been,
expected
 Flashback: a device by which a writer presents scenes or incidents that
occurred prior to the opening scene of the work or the present moment.
 Stream of Consciousness: style of writing consisting of the unorganized flow
of the mind~

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History and Types

• In English Literature, the Short Story genre is a new-

• In American literature, folktales were the precursor

• Poe is considered the father of the short story.

• Another famous short story writer was O Henry.

The traditional plot-line

Exposition is the section in the traditional plot

• Once the major conflict is established, the action of

• Falling action occurs after the climax and leads to the

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