English for Life Reader Grade 8 Home Language. Elaine Ridge

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      Important elements of a short story

      A short story is a short work of fiction. Fiction is prose writing about imagined events and characters. Some short stories can be quite long. If a short story is a long one, say fifty to one hundred pages, we call it a novella.

      When readers read a short story, they must be able to

      What makes a good short story? Combining the five key elements that go into every great short story: character, setting, conflict, plot and theme.

      A character is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or other literary work. A short story usually has only one main character. Because of it being so short, there is not much room for character development. At a critical moment, a character revelation or development can take place, thereby revealing the inner life of the character.

      Characters can be introduced to the reader in more than one way, namely

      The setting of a short story is the time and place in which it happens. Authors often use descriptions of landscape, scenery, buildings, seasons or weather to provide a strong sense of setting.

      A plot is a series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict.

      The conflict is a struggle between two people or things in a short story. The main character is usually on one side of the central conflict. The main character may struggle against another important character, against the forces of nature, against society, or even against something inside himself or herself (feelings, emotions, illness).

      The theme is the central idea or belief in a short story. The short story usually has only one motive or main idea. Ask yourself: What is this story really about?

      In present-day short stories, the main character often also narrates the story in the first person.

      Charles

      Shirley Jackson

      The day Laurie started kindergarten he renounced corduroy overalls with bibs and began wearing blue jeans with a belt; I watched him go off the first morning with the older girl next door, seeing clearly that an era of my life was ended, my sweet-voiced nursery-school tot replaced by a long-trousered, swaggering character who forgot to stop at the corner and wave goodbye to me.

      He came home the same way, the front door slamming open, his cap on the floor, and the voice suddenly became raucous shouting, ‘Isn’t anybody here?’

      At lunch he spoke insolently to his father, spilled Jannie’s milk and remarked that his teacher said that we were not to take the name of the Lord in vain.

      ‘How was school today?’ I asked, elaborately casual.

      ‘All right,’ he said.

      ‘Did you learn anything?’ his father asked.

      Laurie regarded his father coldly. ‘I didn’t learn nothing,’ he said.

      ‘Anything,’ I said. ‘Didn’t learn anything.’

      ‘The teacher spanked a boy, though,’ Laurie said, addressing his bread and butter. ‘For being fresh,’ he added with his mouth full.

      ‘What did he do?’ I asked. ‘Who was it?’

      Laurie thought. ‘It was Charles,’ he said. ‘He was fresh. The teacher spanked him and made him stand in a corner. He was awfully fresh.’

      ‘What did he do?’ I asked again, but Laurie slid off his chair, took a cookie, and left, while his father was still saying, ‘See here, young man.’

      The next day Laurie remarked at lunch, as soon as he sat down, ‘Well, Charles was bad again today.’ He grinned enormously and said, ‘Today Charles hit the teacher.’

      ‘Good heavens,’ I said, mindful of the Lord’s name, ‘I suppose he got spanked again?’

      ‘He sure did,’ Laurie said. ‘Look up,’ he said to his father.

      ‘What?’ his father said, looking up.

      ‘Look down,’ Laurie said. ‘Look at my thumb. Gee, you’re dumb.’ He began to laugh insanely.