Transcript THE SHORT STORY - Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools

THE SHORT STORY
Language Arts 9
What IS a short story, anyway?
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It is a work of narrative, prose fiction or fiction
based on fact. Narrative means it tells a story.
Prose means it doesn’t rhyme. Fiction means it is
not true.
It is usually between 3,000 and 6,000 words in
length.
It will have the components of character, plot,
setting, and point of view.
It may have the component of theme.
There must be some sort of conflict in the story
which engages one or more of the characters.
It there is no conflict, it is NOT a short story,
but a personal essay.
More about Characters…
There are three different types of characters which
an author can use in a story:
1. Round - this character is thoroughly developed - we
know a lot about him from what the author describes,
and we can imply much based on what we see him do or
what he says in the story. He is complex and
interesting, and is often a main character. He can be
compared to a diamond, with many sides to it.
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More about Characters…
2. Flat - this character is usually a minor character
because he is not well explained, and we can’t tell much
about him from seeing or hearing him. We only see one
or two character traits of this character, and
therefore do not have the opportunity to “get to know
him” like we do with a round character. He is simple like a blank sheet of paper -only two visible sides.
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More about Characters…
3. Stereotyped - this character is very predictable based on
commonly held beliefs or stereotypes which society has
placed on him. A stereotyped character will act much the
same no matter which story or situation he is placed in.
Bruce Willis is stereotyped in most of his movies. When we
see his name on a movie we expect him to be the “tough,
good guy” who saves many people by his daring acts. He has
starred in many movies, and he usually plays the same type
of person. His name may be different, and the situations
changed, but his role is basically the same. He is predictable
- like a book. No matter when or where you reread the
book, it is still the same.
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Another way to judge characters is to examine if
they change their personalities at all in the story.
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A Static character will be basically unchanged by
the events or other people in the story. If he is a
bully at the beginning of a story, he will be a bully at
the end of the story.
A Dynamic character will somehow change his
personality in an important, and permanent way
because of what happens to him in the story. The
characters in the show “Touched by an Angel” are
usually dynamic because they are given some
revealing truth about their lives which cause them to
change permanently.
When an author sits down to write a story, he must
also decide how he will present his characters to his
audience. He has two alternatives:
1.
Direct presentation - This is where the author will
tell his readers all about his character. He will leave
little to the imagination of the reader. We do not
get much chance to form our own opinions of the
person because we are told what to expect. For
example “ He’s 178 centimetres tall, weighs seventytwo and a half kilograms, has a tendency toward high
blood pressure. . .”
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Second Alternative:
2.
Indirect presentation - This is where the author will
let his readers see the characters in action and in
interactions with others and then make their own
judgments based on what they have seen and heard.
It allows the reader to participate in an imaginative
way in the story. For example “Now he sighed. I saw
his shoulders heave and the rest of his body shudder
like the chain reaction of freight cars.” We can
assume that there is something bothering this
person after having read that line.
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Most authors will use a combination of
those three techniques to portray
their characters.
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Still more about characters!!!
Because a story must have conflict, it will usually have a “good
guy” and a “bad guy”.
1.
The Protagonist is considered the “good guy” (pro means
good at something) This is the character whom we
sympathize with and want to “win” or succeed.
2.
The Antagonist is the “bad guy” He is often portrayed as
bad or evil, and acts against the protagonist to stop him
from reaching his goal, or winning the conflict.
Finally . . .
In order for a story to be believable, an author must keep three
things in mind when he is developing his characters:
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The character must be believable - no one is all good, or all bad.
Characters should fall somewhere in between displaying a balance
between positive and negative traits.
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The character must be motivated - He should have reasons for
what he does or says.
3.
The character must be consistent - His behaviour should be
quite similar in similar situations unless there is a clear reason
for change.
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HOWEVER, there can be exceptions to these three guidelines, if
an author has a specific reason to “break the rules”.