Introduction

Certain types of short stories can take readers to unknown lands with mystical settings and talking animals or objects. The stories may range from one paragraph to several pages. Each story provides a different view of the author, and some views stem from the past and can be classified into a certain category. Myths, fables, and tall tales represent only a few categories of short stories. Understanding these particular short stories opens up a window to the past and allows readers to explore the cultures and ideas of people from history. Using the literary elements helps these stories come alive in the mind of the reader.

Essential Questions

What are the different types of short stories?
What does it mean when a story has flashbacks?
How do I understand when an element of a story is implied and not stated?
How do I determine the theme in different types of short stories?
How can I find irony, conflict, and point of view in a text?
How do I identify different types of figurative language?

Key Terms

Tall tale: An exaggerated, far-fetched story that is obviously untrue but is told as though it should be believed.
Myth: A made-up story that explains the existence of a natural phenomenon (such as where thunder comes from or how the sun shines) which often includes gods, goddesses, or other supernatural characters.
Fable: A short, simple story, usually with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth.
Exposition: The background of a story usually presented at the beginning in order to understand the story properly.
Foreshadowing: Hints of what is to come in the action of a play or a story.
Suspense: Nervous uncertainty; tension.
Rising action: The events in a conflict that lead to a climax.
Climax: The point where forces in conflict meet; turning point.
Falling action: The conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist; events that occur after the climax has been reached.
Resolution: When the falling action unwinds to the conclusion—all ends are tied.
Dénouement: When the falling action unwinds to the conclusion—all ends are tied; another word for the resolution.
Characterization: The way in which an author presents and defines characters.
Direct characterization: When the writer makes direct statements about a character's personality and tells what the character is like.
Indirect characterization: When the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him.
S.T.E.A.L.: An acronym indicating what to look for when finding indirect characterization: Speech, Thoughts, Effects on others, Actions, Looks.
Narrator: The voice that relates, or tells, the events; the speaker.
Conflict: A struggle between two or more forces.
Man v. man conflict: An external conflict where a character has an argument, disagreement, struggle, or another type of problem with another character.
Man v. nature conflict: An external conflict where a character has a problem with outside forces in nature such as weather, animals, and land.
Man v. society conflict: An external conflict where a character encounters a struggle with the laws or beliefs of a group.
Man v. himself conflict: An internal conflict where the character struggles to decide what to do or think.
Implied setting: The time and place of the story suggested by clues within the text.
Stated setting: The time and place of the story are clearly stated in the text.
Protagonist: The main character of the story.
Antagonist: The person or force that opposes the main character.
Point of view: The perspective of a narrator.
First person: The point of view where the narrator uses the pronoun "I."
Third person: The point of view where the narrator uses the pronouns "he," "she," "it" or "they."
Omniscient: The point of view where the narrator is “all-knowing” or sees and hears everything.
Theme: The meaning behind the story.
Tone: The attitude of the writer is conveyed through writing.
Dialect: A particular form of a language or accent that is peculiar to a specific region or social group.
Dialogue: Conversations between or among characters.
Plot: The sequence of events in a story.
Flashback: An involuntary memory that takes the reader back in time.

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