Elements of A Short Story
A short story tells about a single event or experience that illustrates some aspect of life. Great writers are able to use the elements of a short story with such precision that the reader is caught up in the action of the story. Three of the most important elements are point of view, irony and theme. Point of view is the author's method of telling the story. It is also the voice, or the person who is narrating the story. There are three basic points of view: first person, third person omniscient, and third person limited. In first person, a character within the story, or the narrator is someone who experienced the events first hand and may be looking back on experience. A key to first person is the narrator's use of the pronoun "I." In third person omniscient point of view, the narrator has the ability to look in to the hearts and minds of all characters at all times, and may describe the thoughts or feelings of any o
Verbal irony is similar to sarcasm but with some subtle differences. In third person limited, we see the events through the perspective of one character. However, the character is not the narrator. It gives a basic meaning to a literary work. Situational irony depends a great deal on surprise. However, all elements of short stories are critical parts in the ability to see things from the perspective of another. This point of view is similar to third person omnidcient, but as the word "limited" implies, the narrator's scope is limited to one character. Irony is when we expect one thing but the opposite occurs, and is used to suggest the difference between appearance and reality, and between expectation and fulfillment. A theme is more than just a simple statement. For example, many horror films utilize dramatic irony. Point of view, irony, and theme are more important parts to understanding the story though. It is the moral or idea they present; or it is the thought or purpose behind the author's writing. If the author reveals the thoughts or feelings of two or more, it is omniscient. Sometimes, the theme and a moral are very similar. Theme must be expressible in the form of a statement.
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