Short Stories Plot Structure and Character Development Literature

Short Stories, Plot Structure, and Character Development Literature Note Section #1

What is a short story? • A short story with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel.

What is plot? • Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. • There are five main elements in a plot.

Element 1: Exposition • It is used to introduce background information about events/situations, climates, settings, characters etc. to the audience or readers. – Setting: environment or surrounding in which an event or story takes place – Climate: the mood of the story • Exposition is crucial to any story, for without it nothing makes sense.

Element 2: Rising Action • A series of relevant incidents that create suspense, interest and tension in a literary work. • Begins immediately after the exposition. • Comes right before the climax. • The conflict should arise in the rising action

What is conflict? • Defined as any struggle between opposing forces. • Two main types of conflict: External -Man vs Man -Man vs Society -Man vs. Nature Internal -Man vs self

Element 3: Climax • Particular point in a literary work at which the conflict or tension hits the highest point; sometimes called a crisis. • It’s a decisive moment or a turning point in a storyline at which the rising action turns around into the falling action. • Conflict(s) begin to be resolved

Element 4: Falling Action • Effects of the climax become clear • Events and complications begin to resolve and the result of actions of the main characters are put forward.

Element 5: Resolution • part of the story in which the problems are solved and the action comes to a satisfying end. • End of the story which reveals the final outcome

Class Work • Read the story “My Favorite Chaperone” • If you do not finish in class, you must finish reading it for homework!

Class Work • In your Close Reader, read “Golden Glass” on pages 3 -8 AND make annotations in the margins (like the examples shown in pink). • Complete for homework if necessary.