Last updated: October 6, 2023 at 22:58 pm
What is the Short Story?
The short story is a work of English Literature. It is also a work of art in the sense that it contains a defined pattern and is intricately and beautifully woven by the “artist.”
Kinds of Short Stories
Short stories vary significantly in length, style, genre and narrative techniques. A short story may be as short as 250 words or as long as 10,000 words. Some short stories carry a predictable outcome while others sport an ironic twist.
Short stories may fall under the genres of action, adventure, humor, suspense, supernatural, comedy etc. Further, a short story may be written in the First Person, Second Person, Third Person Limited or Third Person Omniscient Point of View.
The Short story for CXC
Short stories for CXC are expected to be about 400-450 words in length. Therefore, students of CXC English are advised to practice writing short stories of about 400-450 words in length. The CXC short story is usually written in the First Person Point of View.
Elements of the Short Story
The short story contains certain elements which make it unique or set it apart from other forms of literature. These elements include:
Setting – time and place in which the short story takes place.
Characters – people, animals or things which play a role in the story.
Point of View – the short story is told from one of four points of view: first person, second person, third person limited and third person omniscient.
Plot – The plot is an element of the story, but the plot itself contains its own elements which are exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Theme – the theme of a short story, as in a novel, is an underlying message which runs through the story. This can be a moral truth, example, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” or a general idea, example, “courage and determination.” Not all short stories contain themes. Some are written for entertainment purposes only. Nevertheless, it is still possible to identify a theme in a short story which was written simply for entertainment.
Every short story must have a conflict. The rising action, climax, and falling action within the plot represents the conflict of the short story. The conflict of the short story must be resolved before the story ends. The resolution of the conflict may be happy, sad, expected, or unexpected. For example, if the hero or main character dies or fails to overcome a problem, it may be considered a sad ending or a sad resolution of the plot. If the main character defeats an enemy or solves a problem, readers may consider that resolution a happy or satisfying one.
