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| Edgar Allan Poe's requirements for the short story were:
1. singleness of effect 2. brevity (brief enough to read in one sitting) 3. unity The essential elements of a short story are: 1. Plot 2. Characters 3. Setting 4. Point of View 5. Theme 6. Irony Plot is defined as a series of related events. The exposition occurs at the beginning of the story when the author introduces the essential details of setting, characters, etc. . . As part of the rising action, the author then introduces a problem. Whether a story is comic or tragic, all stories contain some degree of conflict. Conflict is a struggle between two opposing forces. Traditionally, these forces have been referred to as the protagonist and the antagonist. The protagonist is the main character in the story. While he is usually someone the reader empathizes with, he is not in all cases a likeable person. The antagonist may take many forms, including: 1. another person 2. a force of nature 3. a situation 4. fate 5. society 6. the protagonist himself The conflict reaches its peak in the story's climax, the point in the story where the reader's interest is at its highest. As the action subsides, the story eventually arrives at the denouement or resolution. Traditionally, the problem(s) was resolved at the end of the story. However, the problems in many modern stories remain unresolved. Characters fall into four general categories: 1. static (a character who does not change during the story) 2. dynamic (a character who undergoes a change during the story) 3. flat - a one-dimensional character 4. round - a character with many dimensions or sides to his personality. Author's develop characters through two primary methods, direct and indirect characterization. When employing direct characterization, the author directly describes the character, taking away the reader's option to visualize the character in the reader's own terms. This method, which was popular in 19th century fiction, is rarely used in the 20th century. Indirect characterization allows the reader the freedom to create the character in the reader's mind. Author's use the following methods to create character: 1. appearance (what does the character look like) 2. speech (what does the character say, and how does he say it) 3. the opinions of others 4. the character's thoughts 5. actions (how the character reacts in certain situations) |
