Elements of Short Story

 B.A First Semester

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Elements of Short Story

What is a short story?

A short story is a brief work of fictional prose that typically focuses on a single incident, a limited number of characters, and a concise plot. It's designed to be read in one sitting, delivering a single, unified effect. Edgar Allan Poe, in his essay "The Philosophy of Composition" said that a short story should be read in one sitting, anywhere from half an hour to two hours.

History of Short Story 

Short story telling can be traced back to ancient mythology, legends, fables and folklores found in communities all over the world. Some of these stories existed in written form, but most of them were passed down through oral traditions. By the fourteenth century, the most well known stories include  Arabian Nights (Middle Eastern folktales by multiple authors) and Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. 

But it was only in the 19th century that short story collections by individual authors appeared more frequently in print. First, it was the publication of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, then Edgar Allen Poe's Gothic fiction, and eventually stories by Anton Chekov, who is generally given the credit  as the founder of the modern short story.            

Features of short story

   Brevity:  Short stories are concise and can be read in a single sitting, unlike longer works like novels. 

·         Single Plot: They usually center on one main plot or a single, self-contained incident.  

·         Limited Characters: Short stories typically feature a small cast of characters, with character development revealed through action and dialogue. 

·         Unified Effect:  A short story aims to evoke a specific mood or feeling in the reader, often through a unified plot and a concentrated focus. 

 Elements of Short Story

 The Five Key elements of a short story are Plot, Character, Setting, Conflict and Theme.

Plot

 Plot is, arguably, the most important element of a short story.  It is the sequence of events in the short story. It is a series of events and actions that relate to the central conflict.  It is a cause-and-effect chain of events with a beginning point, a climax, and a resolution.  The sequence of events in a plot is tied to the central conflict in a story. The plot develops as the protagonist struggles with their given problem, driven by the characters’ goals, finds a solution, and eventually accepts the results. The plot of a story has the following components/ elements:

Exposition: Exposition is an introduction to the characters, setting, and conflict, providing all the necessary background information of a story. This is often found towards the beginning of the story. Exposition can be given in a variety of ways such as Flashbacks, Character  dialogues,  Letters from the past, Setting or character descriptions, Point of View (such as the narrator or main character’s thoughts).

Rising Action: The rising action is the moments in the story that lead up to the climax. The writer introduces one or more plot complications. The writer introduces a conflict – man against himself, man vs. nature, protagonist against antagonist, a spiritual conflict, and so forth. The writer can also introduce obstacles, which prevent the central character from achieving his goal or purpose.  The conflict develops and brings newer and more complicated incidents, leading to the climax.  This is likely to be the longest part in the story.

Climax: After introducing the plot complication or rising action, the writer crafts the turning point or the climax. The climax is the most serious moment in the story. The central character might face his/her enemy, make a decision, find a solution, experience an epiphany, or change in perception.  The conflict reaches a peak, which then leads to a change in the course of events, giving the reader a new understanding of the story either through an event or an insight. The main goal of the climax is to resolve the conflict.

 Resolution: After the resolution of the main conflict, the action slows down.                         The conflict ends, leaving the reader fulfilled. The writer can end a story with an                 open or closed ending. When the story ends with a closed ending, the writer resolves              the story by answering unanswered questions explicitly stated or implied in the                     story. Sometimes the story ends with a death. The writer can end the story with an                 open ending. In this type of  ending, the reader is left to wonder or surmise what                     happens next, after the story has ended.

2. Character 

A character is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of short story or other literary work. They perform actions and say dialogue to move the story along. A story cannot be told without main characters, as they are crucial in driving the narrative and engaging the readers. A character can be classified as either round or flat, dynamic or static, a protagonist or an antagonist.

3. Setting

The setting of a short story is the time and place in which it happens. Generally a writer provides descriptions of landscape, scenery, buildings, seasons or weather to provide a strong sense of setting. The setting establishes a time, place, and environment in which the characters and events of the story are based. 

Aspects of setting:

1. Time: A story is usually set in a time period. This includes the historical time of the story, its specific time frame, and even the time of day when the events take place. 

2. Place: Place is the geographical landscape, real or imaginary, where a particular story unfolds.

3. Environment: The environment of a story can include anything from weather conditions to the social, cultural, and political backdrop to a given story. It can also reflect the characters’ internal struggles and human nature, adding depth to their development. For example, Guy de Maupassant’s short story The Necklace takes place during the 19th century in the city of Paris and has the environmental backdrop of class differences in French society.  Like the main conflict of class difference in The Necklace, all other characteristics of a short story derive from its setting.

 4. Conflict:

 Conflict is struggle between two characters or things in a short story. It is closely linked to the theme of a narrative. It usually surfaces when the protagonist (main character) faces an obstacle or hardship. There are two main types of conflict: i) Internal conflict and ii) External conflict.  

Internal conflict is a person’s struggle with himself/herself. It takes place inside the psyche of a character, such as Hamlet’s conflicted state of mind about how to take revenge for his father’s murder.

External conflict takes place between different characters or groups of characters.

5. Theme

The theme is the central idea or belief in a short story. It can be an idea that runs through the story, or simply the message that is conveyed by the writer. The theme is implied rather than stated explicitly. O. Henry’s short story 'The Gift of the Magi' is about the value of love and sacrifice.