Key Elements in Short Stories

All stories share common characteristics such as a protagonist, who is the central character in conflict who may or may not be a sympathetic character (Perrine 43); an antagonist, which may be any person or force (including a character trait of the protagonist him/herself) arrayed against the protagonist (43); a plot, which is the sequence of incidents or events that make up the story (41); and suspense or the tension that pulls the reader along in the story (43). Short stories usually have the added element of a surprise ending or some sort of ironic twist that happens to the character at the end (Perrine 45).

Other elements that may be key in a short story are the setting, theme and point of view (Dinneen and O'Connor). The setting is the time and place in which the action takes place. The setting has a definite impact on both the character and plot development (Dinneen and O'Connor). The theme of a story is the idea or belief as to what is important or unimportant in life. The theme of a story gives meaning to a literary work and is usually inferred from other elements of the story, evolving through the conflicts experienced by the main character (Dinneen and O'Connor). The points of view a story may be told from either the omniscient narrative, the detached observer's point of view or the first person. The point of view taken can set the action and is also crucial in plot development as it can predetermine what the reader knows or does not know. For example, the

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Category: Literature - K