 This is a fictional tale of a length that is too short

to publish in a single volume like a novel.

 Short stories are usually between five and sixty
pages; as a result, they can be read in a single
sitting.
Usually, short stories concentrate on a single event
with only one or two characters.
 The events of the story or the series of actions that
make up the story are referred to as the plot.
 The plot is usually divided into five parts:
1. Introduction: The reader meets the characters and
discovers the setting.
2. Rising action: Builds up the story (the longest part)
- a series of steps that lead to the climax.
3. Climax: Here, the reader finds out what happens to the
conflict, or how the conflict might be resolved. This is
also known as the highest point of the plot.
4. Falling action: The plot begins to wrap up
in this section of the story, which is usually
brief.
5. Denouement/Conclusion/Resolution:
This part follows quickly after the climax and
provides the last pieces of information for the
reader.
 1. Expository Happy
2. Expository Sad
3. Twist or Surprise
4. Cliffhanger or Unresolved
 Anti-Climax
A dull or disappointing ending to something after
increasing excitement.
 Protagonist:
The main character in
the story. The
protagonist is usually,
but not always, a
“good guy.”
 Antagonist:
The force against the
protagonist and
sometimes
considered as the
villain.
 Flat (Static):
This is a minor
character with one
or maybe two
sides to the
personality.
 Round
(Dynamic):
These characters are
believable and
complex people with
several sides to their
personality.
 Foil:

This is when a
character is portrayed
as opposite of another
character in a
particular way.
In analysing a character, readers can watch out for clues provided by the
author. There are six ways by which we can analyse a character:
a. physical appearance
b. things the character says
c. things the character does (actions)
d. things the character thinks
e. things other characters say about the character
f. author information
 The time and location in
which a story takes place is
called the setting.
Place - geographical location. Where is the
action of the story taking place?
Time - When is the story taking place?
(historical period, time of day, year, etc.)
Weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy,
etc.?
Social conditions - What is the daily life of the characters
like? Does the story contain local color (writing that
focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a
particular place)?
Mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the
beginning of the story? Is it bright and cheerful or dark
and frightening?
It is the opposition of forces
which ties one incident to
another and makes the plot
move.
External – a struggle with a force outside
one’s self.

Internal – a struggle within one’s self; a

person must make some decision, overcome
pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.
Man vs. Man (physical)

The leading character

struggles with his
physical strength
against other men,
forces of nature, or
animals.
 Man vs. Circumstance
(classical)

The leading character

struggles against
fate, or the
circumstances of life
facing him/her.
Man vs. Society (social)

The leading character

struggles against
ideas, practices, or
customs of other
people.
 Man vs. Himself
(psychological)
The leading character
struggles with
himself/herself; with
his/her own soul, ideas of
right or wrong, physical
limitations, choices, etc.
 Man vs. Nature

The leading
character struggles
with forces of
nature like natural
calamities.
This refers to the perspective from which a
story is told.
 First Person (I)
 Second Person (You)
 Third Person (He/She)
a. Omniscient
b. Limited Omniscient
This is a feature in writing a story by which the
events start in the middle of the action.

“I saw the punch coming but couldn't duck in

time. I collapsed to the floor, nose gushing red,
clotted blood.”
When a character thinks back to an
event that occurred before the
story began. Sometimes flashbacks
are written as separate
“interrupter” sections within a
novel.
A hint of events to come.
Suspense is when
the writer creates
excited
anticipation of an
approaching
climax in the
reader.
 This refers to the differences between appearance and
reality, expectation and result, or meaning and intention.
a. Verbal irony – words are used to suggest the opposite of
what is meant.
b. Dramatic irony – there is a contradiction between what a
character thinks and what the reader or audience knows
to be true.
c. Situational irony – an event occurs that directly
contradicts the expectations of the characters, the
reader, or the audience.
 https://www.sd43.bc.ca/school/heritagewoods/StaffInfo/dep
artments/english/_layouts/15/download.aspx?SourceUrl=/sc
hool/heritagewoods/StaffInfo/departments/english/Docume
nts/English%2011/Short%20Story%20and%20Novel%20Ter
ms%2011.pdf

 http://static.dpsk12.org/gems/montbello/TypesofPoems.pdf
Read the short story Voice Tape by Ariel S.
Tabag.

1. Structure the plot of the short story.

2. Identify the type and kind of conflict present.
3. Classify the characters according to character
types.
4. Analyze the characters.
5. Identify the setting (5 aspects).