The Great Tradition

The Short Story

关键词： shortstory    characterizatio    protagonist    setting    theme                                          

    A short story is a brief prose fiction, usually one that can be read in a single sitting. It generally contains the six major elements of fiction----characterization, setting, theme, plot, point of view, and style.

    Characterization refers to the way an author develops the personalities of the characters. In a short story there is usually only one character whose personality is fully developed; there are rarely more than two or three. The main character is often called the protagonist.

    The setting is the time and place in which the events occur. Most short stories have only one setting that is described in great detail and rarely more than two or three settings.

    The theme is the main idea that the writer communicates to the reader. In a short story there is usually one theme.

    The plot is the series of events that takes us from a beginnin gto an end. Each event in the plot is related to the conflict, the struggle that the main character undergoes. Traditionally, the short story opens with exposition, background information vital to our understanding of what will follow. The events in the story follow a rising action until they reach a climax----the point of highest dramatic tension or excitement. After the climax a falling action leads to a resolution----a conclusion in which the conflict is resolved and the 'knot' of the plot is untied. The resolution of the story is sometimes called the denouement, a French word meaning "untying".

【作者: franglais】【访问统计:】【2005年11月13日 星期日 16:55】【 加入博采】【打印】