Title: Short Stories (notes, literary terms, Grammar)
1Short Stories(notes, literary terms, Grammar)
2THE BET ANTON CHEKHOV
- Russian (1860-1904)
- Was a doctor before he chose to be a full-time
writer. - Wrote and completed many of his stories in an
hour or two. - Chekhovs Gun If you acknowledge an item in
the beginning of your story, it must return by
the end of the story and serve a purpose.
3THE BET ASSIGNMENT
- What is the meaning or motivation behind this
story? And how can you relate it to your world? - How does the lawyers characterization change
after fifteen years in isolation? How has the
bankers character changed?
4Narration (Point of View) Notes
- First-person narrative The narrator calls
themselves I. This is their story, from their
perspective. Some are aware that they are
telling a story, some are merely thinking aloud
to the readers. - Second-person narrative Refers to the
characters as you. A difficult style to
manage, it places the reader into the role of a
character who cannot control his or her own fate. - Third-person, objective - tells a story without
describing any character's thoughts or feelings.
Like a fly-on-the-wall.
5Narration (Point of View)
- Third-person, subjective - the narrator conveys
the thoughts, feelings, etc. of one or more
characters. - Limited the narrator only conveys
the thoughts of one character - Omniscient the narrator conveys the
thoughts of any and all characters. - Unreliable narrator a narrator who does not
know everything that is happening in the story or
is lying to the reader
6ITS POE-TIME!
7THE CASK OF THE AMONTILLADO EDGAR ALLAN POE
- American (1809-1849)
- Was a superstar at the height of his career. He
was hired to do poetry readings for parties and
so on. - Often depressed, even more after his wife died
suddenly, Poe spiraled into alcoholism and died.
8THE CASK OF THE AMONTILLADO ASSIGNMENT
- What type of narration is this written in?
- According to Montresor, what makes a perfect
crime? - What character traits in Fortunato make him an
easy target for Montresor? - How is Montresor an unreliable narrator?
9BW Finding a Motive
- Suppose you are a detective assigned to the case
at the time it happened. Write a half-page
report with your theory about the disappearance
of Fortunato (you can have fun with this!) - Example "Montresor is the last member of an old
aristocratic Catholic family that lost its money.
Fortunato was a businessman who had recently
become wealthy and wasnt above cheating to make
money. Fortunato also was a member of the Masons,
a secret Protestant organization that Catholics
cannot join. These facts explain Montresors
hatred of Fortunato. They also supply him with a
motive for murder." -
10Character and Language Terminology
- PROTAGONIST good guy/lead character
- ANTAGONIST villain
- Voice the writers or speakers distinctive use
of language - Diction the writers or speakers choice of
words (slang, simplistic, flowery language, etc.) - Tone the attitude conveyed through the writers
or speakers words (mocking, affectionate, etc.) -
11Motivation and Inference
- Motivation the reason for a characters
behavior - Inferences an educated guess based on clues
from a story -
Symbolism
- Symbol person, place, thing, or event that
stands for itself and for something beyond itself
as well - Figurative language refers to words, and groups
of words, that exaggerate or alter the usual
meanings of the component words. (opposite of
literal language) - Allegory a narrative in which characters and
settings stand for abstract ideas or moral
lessons
12CHRYSANTHEMUMS JOHN STEINBECK
- American (1902-1968)
- Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner
- West-coast focused
- Wrote to the common man of the Great Depression
era - If you are using dialoguesay it aloud as you
write it. Only then will it have the sound of
speech.
13CHRYSANTHEMUMS ASSIGNMENT
- Describe the setting in your own words. Its
mentioned in great detail, so why is the setting
important to this story? - Describe Steinbecks voice (characterization,
dialogue, pace) and diction in this story. - Explain Elisas relationship with her husband
Henry. - Describe the personality of the salesman.
- How does the chrysanthemum plant symbolize Elisa?
- Think of an item that symbolizes you. What is it
and how/why does it reflect who you are?
14GOLDEN KITE, SILVER WIND RAY BRADBURY
- American (1920-2012)
- One of the greatest science-fiction writers of
the 20th century in both literature and
television. - Used a typewriter for all of his writing up until
his death this year.
15GOLDEN KITE, SILVER WIND ASSIGNMENT
- What motivates the two towns to engage in the
wall-building competition? What are the negative
effects of the competition on the townspeople? - Explain what One without the other is nothing
means. - Fully explain in 5 sentences how this story
functions as an allegory about the Cold War.
16THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH EDGAR ALLAN POE
- Poe is back, and now he wants to go to a
fancy-dress party!
17RED DEATH P.O.V. ASSIGNMENT
- Write for a half page about how the story would
have differed if we followed the point of view of
Death throughout the entire story. First, tell
me what form of narration this new story has and
then what form it would be if the entire story
came directly from the Red Deaths thoughts. What
changes when we shift perspective? Consider
setting, surprise, and characterization.
Now, get out a piece of blank paper and draw the
Black Room. Poe gave you a lot of details that
should make this easy to visualize!
18THE MAIN IDEA IS?..
- Of all the representatives sent
abroad by Congress in the early part of the
Revolutionary war to secure aid of various kinds
from certain friendly nations, no one has equaled
Benjamin Franklin in ability, tact, common sense,
diplomacy, and reputation that was national as
well as world wide. Any government to which he
was assigned received an unusual personality. - When Franklin went to France in
the early part of the Revolution as the official
diplomat and ambassador of the thirteen colonies,
he came as a man of maturity, brilliance,
ability, and as a world statesman. Upon his
arrival in Paris, there was no other statesman or
philosopher who could equal him in his ability
and accomplishments. His presence in Paris
annoyed the British minister and staff. Franklin
enjoyed the situation. The years he remained in
Paris were unusually fruitful ones for America
and helping to work out the future destiny of the
United States of America. In the early 1950's the
United States published ten volumes of the United
States Foreign Affairs during the Revolution, and
the major part of the ten volumes covers the work
of Franklin. - The colonies indeed needed help of
every description--men, money, equipment, ships,
and all things to fight a successful war. The
long years of enmity between France and Britain
opened the way for the leadership of Franklin.
And he was not only the man to exploit it, but
also the reason for the acceptance of thirteen
states as a recognized nation in the world of
nations.
19NonFiction terminology
- Thesis one or two sentences in which you
identify the main idea of your paper - Synthesizing putting all the pieces together to
create a coherent combined whole - Paraphrasing summarizing the writers most
important ideas in your own words - Evidence the specific details used to support a
thesis quotes, summaries, etc. - Elaboration the connections you create for your
readers so that they understand your analysis of
the subject matter -
20Non-fiction practice
- Complete the Edgar Allen Poe Webquest
- Read the four articles pertaining to Edgar Allen
Poes death. (pgs. 221-228) - Answer the Test Practice questions on p. 229-230
- Look at page 221. Make a Main Idea/Support chart
for each article. Be sure that you include at
least two examples of supporting evidence for
each main idea. (Four articles/letters)
21Theme
- Theme the central idea of a work of literature
(ex Love is more powerful than hatred, no one
wins in war) - Conflict struggle or clash between opposing
characters or opposing forces - External conflict struggle caused by an
outside force (nature, another character,
society, etc) - Internal conflict takes place entirely
inside the characters own mind (desires,
emotions, etc) - Think of three movies you like and come up
with their themes.
22Irony and Ambiguity
- Irony contrast between expectation and reality
- Verbal Irony a writer or speaker
says one thing but means something completely
different (sarcasm) - Situation Irony when there is a
contrast between what would seem appropriate and
what really happens (a contradiction of
expectation) - Dramatic Irony when the
audience/reader knows something important that a
character does not known (most often occurs in
plays) - Ambiguity an element of uncertainty in a text,
in which something can be interpreted in a number
of different ways
23HOW MUCH LAND DOES A MAN NEED? LEO TOLSTOY
- Russian (1828-1910)
- He came from a wealthy family. An early believer
of Marxism and Communism, Tolstoy gave away most
of his possessions and lived a simple life. - Considered one of the fathers of Russias Golden
Age of Literature
24HOW MUCH LAND DOES A MAN NEED? ASSIGNMENT
- Contrast Pahom and the Bashkir chiefs attitudes
about land. Why are their views different? - What is the theme of this story?
- What is ironic about the final line of the story?
- How does the conversation between the two sisters
at the beginning of the story foreshadow Pahoms
end?
25POISON ROALD DAHL
- Welsh (1916-1990)
- Best known for his kids stories, but also has
written a lot of adult stories, many in
war-settings. - Story takes place in India at the time that
England had colonized the country.
26POISON ASSIGNMENT
- Explain all of the meanings that the word
poison can mean in this story literally and
symbolically. - What is ironic in this story?
- What is ambiguous about it?
- Give an example of internal conflict and external
conflict happening in the story.
27THE STRING GUY DE MAUPASSANT
- French (1850-1893)
- Prolific writer best known for his short stories
with ironic twists.
28THE STRING ASSIGNMENT
- Who is the protagonist of the story? The
antagonist? - What is the main conflict in the story?
- What is the theme?
- What is ironic in the story? What type of irony
is that?
29A ROSE FOR EMILY WILLIAM FAULKNER
- American (1897-1962)
- Grew up in Mississippi, stories focus on the
decay of the old South - Another Nobel Prize winner
30A ROSE FOR EMILY ASSIGNMENT
- Put the events in this story in chronological
order! Just make a simple timeline and summarize
what happens during each event.
31NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A SHORT
STORYTIME TO MAKE YOUR OWN SHORT STORY!