Elements of Short Stories
2010
Setting: Cinderella
The time and place in which a story takes place.
a. Physical environment: A long time ago in a land far far away. This land is ruled by a king and queen.
b. Social environment:The Prince has a high socioeconomic status, the wicked stepmother wishes to advance the status by marrying one of her daughters to the Prince, Cinderella is seen as a servant.
c. Setting can include ideas, customs, values and beliefs of a group of people.
The Setting can influence the mood of a story....
Mood: The overall feeling that a work of literature creates for readers.
Tone: Refers specifically to the attitude of the speaker or narrator.
Atmosphere: Concerned mainly with the qualities that contribute to a mood, such as time, place, and weather.
Characters are the actors in a story's plot.
Protagonist- The main character
Antagonist-the person or force in conflict with the main character. Not all stories have antagonists.
In Cinderella:
The main characters in Cinderella are Cinderella, the stepsisters, their mother, the fairy godmother, and the prince. (The Disney version also incorporates Lucifer the cat and the mice).
Protagonist: Cinderella
Antagonist: Stepmother and stepsisters
Characterization: Four types of characterization or techniques the writer uses to develop the characters.
1. Physical Description: The physical appearance of a character. How do the characters look?
2. Speech and actions of a character-What does the character say directly? How do the characters behave?
3. Direct comment from the narrator: What does the narrator say?
4. Speech and actions of other characters:What do the characters say about each other? How do they act towards each other?
The Four Types of Characters
1. Round: A character that is complex and presented in detail.
2. Dynamic: A character who changes over time.
3. Flat: A character with only one or two personality traits.
4. Static: A character who doesn't change.
Plot:The Sequence of Events that make up a story
How does this apply to Cinderella?
Cinderella has to slave away for her step family.
She goes to the ball and
dances with the prince.
Will the glass slipper fit?
The glass slipper
does fit!!!!
They live happily ever after.
A modified version of the plot structure....
Exposition:
Designed to arouse the reader's interest; background information is provided.
Conflict-Struggle between opposing forces (protagonist vs. antagonist)
Types of conflict:
a. person vs. person-Cinderella vs. her wicked step-mother and sisters
b. person vs. self-Cinderella's lack of self-confidence
c. person vs. nature-hmmm. can't think of anything for Cinderella?
d. person vs. supernatural-fairy godmother's spell wearing off at midnight
Conflict: Most plots deal with a problem and develop around a conflict, a struggle between opposing forces.
External Conflict: a struggle between the character and an outside force, such as another character, society, nature, or fate.
Internal Conflict: a struggle that takes place within a character who struggles with opposing feelings or with indecision about how to act.
Cinderella's Conflict
Problem: Cinderella wants to go to the ball, but her stepsisters and step mother prevent her from going.
External conflict: The stepmother and stepsisters are outside forces.
However, I think stories can have both external and internal conflicts.
Maybe the main conflict in Cinderella is with stepmom.
Rising Action- The complication or development of the conflict.
Cinderella wants to go to the ball, but she has no dress. The mice make her a dress, but it is ripped to shreds by the wicked stepsisters...
Finally, the fairy godmother intervenes and makes Cinderella gorgeous for the ball.
Rising Action:
Then midnight rolls around and the spell starts to wear off. OH NO!!!!
Climax: turning point of the story; point of intense interest.
The Prince looks for Cinderella. Whoever can wear the glass slipper is the mystery woman he fell in love with at the Ball.
Falling Action or denouement: events that lead to a resolution.
Alas, the shoe fits!
Resolution: The outcome of the conflict.
And they lived happily ever after......
Point of View: POV refers to the standpoint from which a story is told.
a. The person telling the story is the narrator
First Person: The narrator is a character in the story, and uses the words "I" and "Me" to tell the story.
Third Person: The narrator is someone who stands outside the story and describes the characters and action.
Omniscient: Narrator knows everything, including the thoughts and feelings of every character in the story
Limited: Narrator describes events as only one character perceives them.
POV in Cinderella
Usually told from the third person omniscient point of view. The narrator explains what the prince is doing and what is happening at Cinderella's house.
It's fun to rewrite stories or think about how a story could be told from another character's perspective.
Theme: The central message of a story that readers can apply to life.
Sometimes themes are stated directly in a story.
Usually themes are implied; the reader has to infer the theme by considering all the elements of a story.
I think some stories can have more than one theme.
Theme in Cinderella
The theme of Cinderella is implied.
Possible theme: If you are in a bad situation, you should do the best you can. In the end, things will work out.
Other themes:
Useful Literary Terms
Simile: A comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as."
Metaphor: A comparison between two unlike things without using the words "like" or "as." It's a stronger comparison where the writer says something is something else.
Personification: Giving humanlike qualities to non-human things.
Foreshadowing: Hints about future events.
Imagery: Descriptions that use specific details which appeal to the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
More Terms:
Irony: a "twist." It's when the opposite of what is expected happens.
Flashback: Going back into the past to explain details or reveal more information.
Symbolism: An object that represents something else or an abstract idea.
Allusion: A reference to history, culture, or literature which the reader is expected to understand.
http://www.learner.org/interactives/story/index.html
This is a link to a fun, interactive website relating to the elements of fiction. If we have some time, we will use this!!!