Short Story
Brief fictional prose narrative to be distinguished from longer, more expansive narrative forms such as the novel, epic, saga, and romance. The short story is usually concerned with a single effect conveyed in a single significant episode or scene and involving a limited number of characters, sometimes only one. The form encourages economy of setting and concise narration; character is disclosed in action and dramatic encounter but seldom fully developed. A short story may concentrate on the creation of mood rather than the telling of story.
Brief fictional prose narrative that is shorter than a novel and that deals with only a few characters.
The short story is usually concerned with a single effect conveyed in only one or a few significant episodes or scenes. The form encourages economy of setting, concise narrative, and the omission of a complex plot; character is disclosed in action and dramatic encounter but is seldom fully developed. Despite its relatively limited scope, though, a short story is often judged by its ability to provide a “complete” or satisfying treatment of its characters and subject.
The first significant short story in English was" Dead Stars" by Paz MArquez Benitez published in 1925.
Early Themes Love and Romance of Short story.
Writes are:
- Loreto paras-Sulit
- Paz Latorena
- Arturo B. Rotor
- Jose Garcia Villa
For example, Nick Joaquin turned to Spanish Philippines, F. Sionil Jose wrote of the Migrating Ilocano, N.V.M. Gonzales pictured the strength of the peasants, Brilliants depicted the people's hopes and dreams.
Elements of A Short Story
I. Character
A character is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or literary work.
- The person in a work of fiction.
- once characters is clearly central to the story with all major events having some importance part.
-is the main character in a story, novel, drama, or other literary work, the character that the reader or audience empathizes with.
Antagonist
- a person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another; opponent; adversary.
- the adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other literary work.
2. The characteristics of a person.
in order for a short story to seem real to the reader its characters must seem real. Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves. The author may reveal a character in several ways:
a.) his/her physical appearance.
b.) what he/she says,thinks, feels and dreams.
c.) what he/she does or does not do.
d.) what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her.
Characters are convincing if they are: consistent, motivated, and life-like (resemble real people).
Characters are:
- Individual - round, many sides and complex personalities.
- Developing - dynamic, many sided personalities that change, for better or worse, by the end of the story.
- Static - stereotype, have one or two characteristics that never change and are emphasized e.g. brilliant detective, drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc
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)Place - geographical location. Wherein the action of the story taking place. b)Time - Wherein the story taking place (historical period, time of day, year, etc).
c) Weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc.
d) 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).
e) Mood or Atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story.Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening.
III. Plot
A plot is a series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict.The Plot s how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea; It is the sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and end. The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting. There are five essential parts of plot:
a) Introduction - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.
b) Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).
c) Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
d) Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between climax and denouement).
e) Denouement - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.It is helpful to consider climax as a three-fold phenomenon:
1) the main character receives new information
2) accepts this information (realizes it but does not necessarily agree with it)
3) acts on this information (makes a choice that will determine whether or not he/she gains his objective).
IV. 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.
On the other side, 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).
Conflict is essential to plot. Without conflict there is no plot. It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move. Conflict is not merely limited to open arguments, rather it is any form of opposition that faces the main character. Within a short story there may be only one central struggle, or there may be one dominant struggle with many minor ones.
There are two types of conflict:
1) External - A struggle with a force outside one's self.
2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.
There are four kinds of conflict:
1) Man vs. Man (physical) - The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men, forces of nature, or animals.
2) Man vs. Circumstances (classical) - The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her.
3) Man vs. Society (social) - The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people.
4) Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological) - The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.
V. THEME
The theme is the central idea or belief in a short story. And the theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight. It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey. The theme may be the author's thoughts about a topic or view of human nature. The title of the short story usually points to what the writer is saying and he may use various figures of speech to emphasize his theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or irony.
Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are:
- things are not always as they appear to be
- Love is blind
- Believe in yourself
- People are afraid of change
- Don't judge a book by its cove
VI. POINT OF VIEW
Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle from which the story is told.
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.
On the other side, 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).
Conflict is essential to plot. Without conflict there is no plot. It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move. Conflict is not merely limited to open arguments, rather it is any form of opposition that faces the main character. Within a short story there may be only one central struggle, or there may be one dominant struggle with many minor ones.
There are two types of conflict:
1) External - A struggle with a force outside one's self.
2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.
There are four kinds of conflict:
1) Man vs. Man (physical) - The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men, forces of nature, or animals.
2) Man vs. Circumstances (classical) - The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her.
3) Man vs. Society (social) - The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people.
4) Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological) - The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.
V. THEME
The theme is the central idea or belief in a short story. And the theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight. It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey. The theme may be the author's thoughts about a topic or view of human nature. The title of the short story usually points to what the writer is saying and he may use various figures of speech to emphasize his theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or irony.
Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are:
- things are not always as they appear to be
- Love is blind
- Believe in yourself
- People are afraid of change
- Don't judge a book by its cove
VI. POINT OF VIEW
Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle from which the story is told.
1. Innocent Eye - The story is told through the eyes of a child (his/her judgment being different from that of an adult) .
2. Stream of Consciousness - The story is told so that the reader feels as if they are inside the head of one character and knows all their thoughts and reactions.
3. First Person - The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc). The reader sees the story through this person's eyes as he/she experiences it and only knows what he/she knows or feels.
4. Omniscient- The author can narrate the story using the omniscient point of view. He can move from character to character, event to event, having free access to the thoughts, feelings and motivations of his characters and he introduces information where and when he chooses. There are two main types of omniscient point of view:
a) Omniscient Limited - The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc). We know only what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author chooses to reveal them to us.
b) Omniscient Objective – The author tells the story in the third person. It appears as though a camera is following the characters, going anywhere, and recording only what is seen and heard. There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts. No interpretations are offered. The reader is placed in the position of spectator without the author there to explain. The reader has to interpret events on his own.
2. Stream of Consciousness - The story is told so that the reader feels as if they are inside the head of one character and knows all their thoughts and reactions.
3. First Person - The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc). The reader sees the story through this person's eyes as he/she experiences it and only knows what he/she knows or feels.
4. Omniscient- The author can narrate the story using the omniscient point of view. He can move from character to character, event to event, having free access to the thoughts, feelings and motivations of his characters and he introduces information where and when he chooses. There are two main types of omniscient point of view:
a) Omniscient Limited - The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc). We know only what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author chooses to reveal them to us.
b) Omniscient Objective – The author tells the story in the third person. It appears as though a camera is following the characters, going anywhere, and recording only what is seen and heard. There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts. No interpretations are offered. The reader is placed in the position of spectator without the author there to explain. The reader has to interpret events on his own.
Dagli - a short fictional pieces
Ang Dagli ay isang uri ng anyong pampanitikan sa Tagalog na maitutumbas sa maikling paglalarawan ng bagay, tao, o pangyayari, at karaniwang ginagamitan ng talinghaga, siste, o satira. Ayon kay E. Arsenio Manuel, nag-ugat ang dagli noong panahong sakop ng Espanyol ang Filipinas, at maging tampok sa mga pahayagang Espanyol ang mga artikulong tinaguriang Instantaneas. Gayunman, hindi malinaw kung hinango nga ng mga manunulat sa Tagalog ang gayong padron mula sa Espanyol, dahil hindi pa noon malinaw kung anong uri ang itatawag sa akdang anyong prosa ngunit patula ang himig. Magkakaroon lamang ng linaw ang anyong prosang gaya ng maikling kuwento at nobela pagsapit ng siglo beynte, at mula rito'y lalong sisigla ang pagpapalathala ng dagling nasa ilalim ng sagisag-panulat. Sumulat si Alejandro G. Abadilla ng mga dagli, ngunit kahit siya'y mag-aalangan sa taguri niyon, kaya magkakasiya na lamang siyang tawagin iyong "kaunting tula at kaunting tuluyan."
Sa kasalukuyang panahon, ang dagli ay halos itumbas sa tulang tuluyan, pasingaw, at proto-fiction o micro-fiction sa Ingles. Muling pinasikat ito ni Mike L. Bigornia, Virgilio S. Almario, Gemino H. Abad, at Roberto T. Añonuevo na pawang sumulat ng kani-kaniyang uri ng dagling may himig ng tula.
Ang isang halimbawa ng dagli na sinulat ni Salvador R. Barros ay ganito:
- Tungkol sa mga bagay na pumapasok sa pandinig, ang lalaki, babae, at reporter ay may malaking ipinagkakaiba.
- Ang pumapasok sa isang tainga ng lalaki ay lumalabas sa kabila.
- Ang pumapasok sa dalawang tainga ng babae ay lumalabas sa bibig.
- At ang pumapasok sa dalawang tainga ng reporter ay lumalabas sa pahayagan. (Sampagita, 8 Nobyembre 1932.
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