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Unit 1: Traditions in the Short Story

Plot in the Short Story

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1. Setting/Exposition: the beginning of the story:
        A. When
        B. Where
        C. Who
        D. Necessary background information
    2. Conflict: it is the problem the sets off the series of events to come.
        A. Man v. Man:  The conflict is between two characters or it is an external struggle.
        B. Man v. Himself:  A character has an internal struggle within themselves.
        C. Man v. Nature: 
3. Rising Action: the series of events (cause & effect) that lead up to the climax.
4. Climax: the point at which the conflict must be resolved.
5. Falling Action: the outcome of the climax
6. Conclusion: the end of the story. 

Plot: "The Monkey's Paw," by W.W. Jacobs

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1. Setting/Exposition:
    - When: During the time of the British Colonization of India.  There is no electricity.  Mrs. White is wearing an apron, and the men are playing chess by the fire.
    - Where: Great Briton, in a small farm house far away from any town or neighbors.
    - Who: Mr. White, Mrs. White, Herbert White, and Sergent-Major Morris.
        - what details about each one are telling of how they might react to a conflict?
2. Conflict: The Monkey's Paw
    - What should be done with it?
        - Man v. Man: Mr. White and Sergent-Major Morris argue about destroying or using the monkey's paw.

        - Man v. Man: Mr. White and Mrs. White argue about if they should use it and then on how it should be used.
        - Man v. Himself:  Mr. White struggles with his desire for radical change and the risk it poses. 
3. Rising Action: The series of events between the first and the second wishes.
4. Climax: The third wish
5/6: Falling Action/Conclusion: Their lives are destroyed, just as was foreshadowed. 

Building Suspense

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Suspense: a plot element that causes a reader to be anxious about what will happen next. 

The following techniques can be used to create suspense in your storytelling:

1. Setting: the setting of the story creates the atmosphere and give definition to the suspense.
    "It was a dark and stormy night as the lone rider weaved between the    
    gnarled trunks and whipping branches."
    or
    "The little boy stood frozen in front of the Christmas tree, his pajama
    feet glued to the floor as he gazed at the one sparkling box that made
    their threadbare couch look small."
The atmosphere that the setting creates will define the anxiety that the reader should fee: anticipation, impending doom, and so on.

2. Foreshadowing: the plot technique of giving the reader, listener, or viewer of a story or play hints of what is to come in that work.
    - Foreshadowing allows the reader to guess or to be concerned with what they can foresee happening, while still allowing the reader to be surprised by how it happens. 
    - The reader then remains engaged with the plot to see if they were right, or to see the events unfold. 

3. Cause & Effect: a pattern of action were events in a story can be traced back to what other events caused them. 
    - When characters do something in direct response to an event, characterization becomes a suspenseful element. 
    - The reader may wonder what the effects of a certain event may be, or what caused an event. 
    - When a reader guesses how a character will react or what will the effect of an action be, they become involved with the plot line and in a sense, anxious about how it will turn out.  (It is also the perfect set up for an ironic twist).

Setting: "The Boar Hunt," by Jose Vasconcelos

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Eudora Welty said, "Every story would be another story, and unrecognizable if it took up its characters and plot and happened somewhere else... Fiction depends for its life on place. Place is the crossroads of circumstance, the proving ground of, What happened? Who's here? Who's coming?..."



Writers describe the world they know. Sights, sounds, colors, and textures are all vividly painted in words as an artist paints images on canvas. A writer imagines a story to be happening in a place that is rooted in his or her mind. The location of a story's actions, along with the time in which it occurs, is the setting.

Setting is created by language. How many or how few details we learn is up to the author. Many authors leave a lot of these details up to the reader's imagination.


People exist in a particular time and place. Where we live may contribute not only to our personality, but also to our values, attitudes, and even our problems. In literature, setting (time and place) can also influence characters and what they do.

Time We need to consider four kinds of time that may carry particular associations with them:

  • Clock time: this can be used to provide suspense or create certain moods or feelings.
  • Calendar time: the day, month, year, or more generally a day of the week or time of the month may provide an understanding of what takes place in a piece of literature.
  • Seasonal time: the seasons or a span of time associated with a particular activity may be important.
  • Historical time: this can establish a psychological or sociological understanding of behaviors and attitudes.
Place We may find significance in the actual location where the action occurs, but we need to pay attention to the nonphysical as well as the physical environment.

The physical environment, including weather conditions, may be specifically described.

The nonphysical environment includes cultural influences such as education, social standing, economic class, and religious belief. These may be revealed by physical properties in the scene or through the characters' dialogue, thoughts, statements, and behaviors.

Uses of setting:
The setting may be nothing more than the backdrop for what occurs; however, it may be directly linked to mood or meaning.
  • It can create an atmosphere that affects our response to the work.
  • It may have a direct effect on a character's motivation.
  • An external force may enter the setting and change it, causing conflict for the characters.
  • The setting itself may be an antagonist.
  • Two settings may come into conflict with each other, causing conflict in the characters who must live in them and perhaps have to choose between them.
Reading for setting Sometimes the setting is clearly described by the narrator. However, some works will require you to search for clues, especially with regard to the nonphysical environment.

  • Learn about the author and the time and place of writing.
  • Note suggestive details.
  • Note unique uses of language and, perhaps, hidden references to the historical or cultural environment.

Characterization: "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," by James Thurber

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Characterization: The technique writers use to create lifelike characters.

A writer may describe a character’s physical appearance, personality, behavior, thoughts, feelings, and speech. A writer may also describe the reactions of some characters to another character.

-         Flat Characters: Stereotypes are one-dimensional and lacking in complexity.  These characters don’t change throughout the story.

-         Round Characters: They act according to complex and realistic patterns of emotion and behavior.


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Theme: "Through the Tunnel," Doris Lessing

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What exactly is this elusive thing called theme?
    - The theme of a fable is its moral
    - The theme of a parable is its teaching
    - In fiction, the them is not intended to teach or preach. in fact, it is not presented directly at all.  The reader must extract it from the characters, actions, and setting that make up the story. In other words, you must figure it out for yourself.

Writer's task: The writer must be able to use themes in order to communicate on a common ground with the reader.  Although the particulars of your experience might be different than the details in the story, the general underlying truths behind the story may be just the connection that booth you and the writer are seeking. 

The Book's Definition:
    - The underlying meaning of a literary work.
    - The theme may be stated or implied.
    - Theme differs from the subject of the work in that it involves a statement or opinion about that subject.
    - Not every literary work has a theme.
    - Some literary works have more than one theme.

Approaches to finding Theme:
    - Think through the events in the plot and the effects they've had on the characters.
    - Remember what theme is not:
            - Not a moral
            - Not a subject
            - Not a summary


Point of View: "Forgiveness in Families"

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Definition: the perspective from which the story is told.

Point of View means that the story is told through the eyes and mouth of a certain person; the story can change
  considerably, depending on who is telling it.
 
First person narrator:Story is told from the inside; narrator is a participant in  the action
 ·Narrator is often the protagonist or minor character; we  see only what he/she sees, in the way that he/she sees it.
         ·Advantage: first person narrator has immediacy and a sense  of life.
         ·Disadvantage: the author may be frustrated in that he/she  can only include things that the narrator would be expected to know; also, 
        we  are locked within the mind of the narrator.
 
Third person narrator: usually a nameless narrator who  can be identified with the author.
 
Omniscient narrator:  godlike  narrator; he/she can enter character's minds and know everything that is going  on, past, present, and
future.
         Advantage:  very natural technique; author is, after all, omniscient regarding his work.
         Disadvantage:  unlifelike; narrator knows and tells all; is truly a convention of literature
 
·Viewpoint character:  third person narration that is  limited to the point of view of one character in the novel; may be a protagonist  or a minor character.
 
·Objective viewpoint:  limited narrative, like a drama;  narrator can only describe words and actions that can be seen objectively and  cannot get into character's thoughts

 Combination of narrative techniques is possible in a novel.
 
Information from: http://www.ci.maryville.tn.us/mhs/studyskills/compguide/LitAnaPOV.htm

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1. In “Forgiveness in Families,” who has the more accurate view of Cam’s character, Val or her mother?  Explain.  Is Val justified in her feelings toward Cam?

2.  Discuss the meaning of the last two sentences in the story, “Forgiveness in Families.”  Write them in your own words.

3.  With references to “Forgiveness in Families,” explain which has the greater influence on child development, heredity or environment.

4.  ”Forgiveness in Families” explores issues such as sibling rivalry, lifestyle choices, jealousy, conformity, and spiritual beliefs.  Choose one issue and write about its importance in the story.

Questions from: http://sites.cdnis.edu.hk/teachers/karencarmenlanga/2012/09/04/english-9-character-and-the-short-story/

5. Do you agree with this statement?
        In “Forgiveness,” Val realizes that it is herself, not her brother, that is the cause of her problems. She reflects on the nature of life and        
        death, realizing that the seemingly insignificant things, which “don’t seem that much like life,” are in fact what we yearn for when faced
        with death. She makes the startling confession that, in some part of her, she was disappointed when her mother did not die.
                - Posted by jenniferc at 7:49 PM http://iwantpizza.blogspot.com/2007/01/what-makes-forgiveness-in-families.html

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