​Learning About Short Stories

The short story is a form of fiction. Certain elements are common to short stories. For example, all short stories contain characters, the people or animals in the story. The reasons that explain why characters act as they do are called their motivation. The way in which a writer reveals a character’s personality and qualities is called

characterization. There are two kinds of characterization:

• Through direct characterization, the writer tells what the character is like.

• Through indirect characterization, the writer shows what the character is like.

That is, the reader must draw conclusions about the character’s personality and

qualities based on the character’s appearance, words, and actions and what other

characters say about him or her.

​Learning About Short Stories

The plot is the series of events in a short story. A plot usually has five parts:

1. The exposition introduces the setting (the time and place of the story), the characters, and the basic situation.

2. The rising action introduces, develops, and deepens the conflict, or problem.

3. The climax is the point of highest tension, the turning point. During the climax, the characters confront the conflict.

4. During the falling action, the characters solve the problem, and the tension eases.

5. The resolution is the conclusion, when the conflict is settled and the outcome of the story is revealed.

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​Learning About Short Stories

The theme is a central message about life. A universal theme is one that is expressed in many cultures and time periods. It reflects basic human values. An example is “Crime does not pay.”