Short Stories

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Short Stories

• What is a short story?
• What are the elements of a short story?
• What is Freytags Pyramid?

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What is a short story?

• Short work of fiction.
• Generally centers on one climactic event.
• Usually develops only a single character.
• Can be read in one sitting.

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Elements of a Short Story

• Setting
• Character
• Conflict
• Plot
• Point of View
• Theme

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Setting

• Historical
• Geographical
• Socio-economical
• Specific location
• What are examples of setting?

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Character

• Characterization The creation and development
  of a character through actions, speech, thoughts,
  appearance, and the other characters opinions of
  him/her.
• Round vs. Flat
• Dynamic vs. Static
• Who are some of your favorite characters?

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Character

• Protagonist
• Antagonist
• Foil

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Conflict

• EXTERNAL

• INTERNAL

• Physical (human vs. nature)
• Classical (human vs. human)
• Social (human vs. society)

• Psychological (human vs. self)
• What are some of the conflicts youve read about
  lately?

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Plot

• Plot
• Other literary terms related to plot
• Causality
• Foreshadowing
• Suspense

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Freytags Pyramid
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Types of Plots

• Unified Plot
• Beginning, Middle, and End
• Chain of Events
• Cause and Effect

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Types of Plot

• Linear
• Chronological
• Flashback
• In Medias Res
• Circular
• Episodic
• Hypertextual

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Point of View
The perspective through which the story is told.

• The "vantage point" of the narrative.
• The voice or consciousness through which we
  understand the story and that shapes what we
  think and how we feel about everything in the
  story.

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The Narrator

• Narrator
• Questions to help determine who the narrator of
  the story is
• Who tells the story?
• Through whose eyes do we see the events?
• Whose thoughts, feelings, and opinions do we
  know?
• Who analyzes the events? 

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Unreliable Narrators

• First Person PoV We know only what the narrator
  wants us to know.
• What if the narrator isnt telling us the whole
  story?
• What if the narrator cannot be trusted?
• Is the narrator credible?

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Types of Point of View

• Objective PoV
• First Person PoV
• Third Person PoV
• Omniscient
• Limited Omniscient

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Point of View

• How does the point of view affect our responses
  to the characters?
• How does the point of view shape our
  understanding and interpretations? 
• How is our response influenced by how much the
  narrator knows and how objective and reliable
  s/he is?
• What might happen if another point of view took
  charge and told the story his/her way?

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Theme

• Controlling idea or central insight.
• Underlying meaning or main idea.
• Thoughts about a topic.
• View of human nature.
• Commentary on society or culture.

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QUESTIONS?

• What is a short story?
• What are the elements of a short story?
• What is Freytags Pyramid?