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Short Story Critique&Terms

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21 views5 pages

Short Story Critique&Terms

Uploaded by

Ennairis
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Ideas for the Critique of Short Stories And Some Literary Terms

Read the short story at least twice. The first time fairly quickly with as open a mind as possible and
allowing yourself to appreciate what the author evokes without asking too many questions about
the techniques used.

If you liked the story, you might begin further readings curious as to how the writing contributed to
your enjoyment. Alternatively, why did the author struggle to hold your interest or what made the
story less satisfying? Reading again might be a great deal slower or with pauses where you reflect on
a sentence, paragraph or page.

Highlight or otherwise record text that you find particularly moving, well–written or not so well
written. Also record examples that illustrate particular uses of technique or your ideas about the
writing.

Find an online potted biography of the author and consider how events and other influences might
have impacted on the story.

Key Considerations

Identity Does the story belong to a particular genre such as science fiction or romance? Or is the
writer part of a particular literary movement or period in history. To what extent does the story
reflect her or his culture (including religious and political views), interests or personal history?

Does the story slavishly follow a genre or other model, or to what extent does it have originality?

Does the author appear to be writing for a particular audience or readers? This might include
considerations about what is and is not publishable in terms of censorship, social outrage or
commercial viability.

Setting What role does setting play in the story? How effectively is setting used?

• The period or periods of time (e.g. year, season, dawn, last ten minutes of a day at work)
• Description of locations, scenery, buildings, rooms and weather
• Milieu – social circumstances, groups and their activities
• Local colour –portraying the culture of an area through use of dialect and turns of phrase
and by describing distinctive clothing, legends, landscapes and customs.
• Ambience – emotional atmosphere / prevailing mood
• Psychological – attitudes, beliefs, personalities and mindsets of the characerters

How does the author communicate the setting created?


Are there clues as to when the story was written or when the author would have you believe it was
written?
Is the language of the period? Is the speech consistent with the education and status of characters?

Hooks & Tension


What first engaged your interest? How soon did this happen? How was the interest added to?
What conflict exists in the story and how is this developed?
Could the main character’s conflict have been greater without overdoing it and making the story
rather longer?
What is the point of greatest tension?
How does the author build tension? How does the author deal with what follows the climax?

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Ideas for the Critique of Short Stories And Some Literary Terms

Types of conflict

Human vs. Human – use of physical and mental abilities against others
Human vs. Nature – battling against natural forces, such as animals, weather, earthquakes
Human vs. Social – struggling against the prevailing notions and expectations of a group or society.
Human vs. Ideals – torn between desires and personal beliefs about what is allowed, moral or
appropriate for self. The struggle might be deciding what is right or overcoming vulnerabilities, such
as fear, to do the right thing.

Characters
Who is the main character? Is anyone else important to the story? If so, in what ways?
To what extent are characters well–drawn (characterised) or at least sufficiently described for the
purposes of this story?
Are some characters over–described – information that doesn’t contribute to the story?
If there is dialogue, how credible is this? Is it socially / historically accurate?
Are there stereotypes or appeals to prejudice, such as a disfigured villain?
How are women and men portrayed?
How is sexuality and sexual identity dealt with?

Types of Characters

 Dynamic – changes views or behaviour during the course of the story.


 Static – unchanging over the course of the story.
 Flat – built around a single personality trait or idea and lacking nuance. Are often also static.
Might be depicted in one sentence or even a phrase.
 Round – has complexity such as competing emotions, subtleties and strengths with failings.
Often dynamic due to changing perceptions and evolving as a person within the story.
 Stock – rely on cultural expectations and literary traditions. Thus an author needs fewer
words to depict. E.g. the miser, maudlin drunkard, and psychologically wounded but
brilliant detective.
 Foil – character used in contrast, usually to emphasise the positive qualities of the main
character. For example, illustrating a villain’s vanity to highlight the protagonist’s modesty.

Plot

What are the story’s main events and its pivotal point?
Are events presented chronologically or does the author use time more fluidly, such as flashbacks
and flash forwards?
Does the writing make the plot believable? For example, did any coincidences not seem credible
when you first read the story?

Longer short stories may involve sub–plots.

Narration

What tense is used and what is the effect of this?


Is there a narrative frame, a story within a story? For example, the narrator reports how s/he came
to learn of the framed story.
Does a single person appear to be telling the story? This is usually the case in short stories.
Is the narrator also the main character?

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Ideas for the Critique of Short Stories And Some Literary Terms

To what extent is reported speech used. How much of this is direct (using speech marks or their
equivalent) and how much is indirect (paraphrased)?
Are any devices used to convey information, such as letters, diary entries, radio news or recorded
messages?
Is the narrator a participant in the story and, if so, as a major or minor character?

Some other variations in narration are:

 The intrusive narrator – readily appraises what characters do or don’t do. At times, this
might include asides, even philosophical digressions.
 Self–conscious narrator – disturbs the illusion s/he is giving an actual account of events by
drawing attention to the fact that the writing is a piece of fiction.
 Naïve – a child or a child–like adult who does not fully understand the significance of their
perceptions.
 Ironic narrator – says one thing yet conveys another meaning. Sees through the actions,
motives, illusions and mistakes of characters.
 Personal ironic narrator – comments on her/his own limitations and failings.
 Unreliable narrator – the text causes the reader to doubt her/his account. The doubt might
stem from clues such as the reader sensing the narrator has misunderstood things, has
insufficient knowledge, has an axe to grind or fails to accept a major character has flaws.

Point of View – the perspective from which a story is narrated.

• First Person – I. “My adventure began when I met…”


• Second Person – You (rarely used) “Your adventure began when you met…”
• Third Person She / he. “Lee’s adventure began when she met…” In this POV the narrator is
not a character.

Dramatic point of view – minimizes description and draws little attention to the narrator. Focusing
on unfolding events, characters and what they say contributes to the reader forgetting there is a
narrator.

There are a number of ways of using third person narration.

 Omniscient – an all-knowing narrator has unlimited insights into characters, their motives,
thoughts and actions. She or he can also have complete knowledge of events, their causes
and consequences.
 Limited Omniscient – The narrator’s godlike insights are limited to one character.
 Objective / Unintrusive. Narrator does not report on thoughts of characters, merely reports
what was seen and heard, acting more like a video camera than an insightful human being.

Writing Style – For example:


 Long / complex vs. short / simple sentences.
 Vocabulary used. Formal vs. informal language. Poetic vs. more matter of fact?
 If humorous, what kind of humour?
 Detached vs. emotional.
 Use of imagery, metaphors and symbolism.
 Emphasis on external action vs. inner thoughts and feelings.

Themes – What is the author’s central concern or insight? For example, a view of human nature,
what makes life worth living, injustice, ingratitude or betrayal.

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Ideas for the Critique of Short Stories And Some Literary Terms

How is the theme communicated? For example, through repetition of words, ideas or through
symbols? The title of the short story may point to what concerns the writer.

There may be more than one theme. If so, what are they and which does the writer give more
attention to?

Ending

How does the story end and how well does this satisfy you?
Is there an unexpected twist and what was the effect of this on you during your first reading?

Some stories, particularly older ones, have an epilogue to tie up loose ends. Others have little or no
closure.

Glossary of Some Fiction Terms

There are several longer glossaries of literary terms available on line.

Antihero / antiheroine – A central character who lacks the qualities of a traditional hero /heroine by
being, for example, timid, indecisive or neurotic. They can be likeable for being all too human or
unlikable to the point being despicable.

Backstory – what precedes the main part of the story. One of the challenges of writing a short story
is limiting the amount of backstory or eliminating it.

Chekhov’s Gun – Chekhov advised against featuring a gun early in the story unless it was going to be
used later. Thus the term refers to a detail that is not important to the story, a detail that might even
lead to reader dissatisfaction once it becomes apparent that the mention was irrelevant.

Connotation – the associations evoked by a word or phrase that goes beyond dictionary meanings.
An author might consciously use a more ambiguous word or one with historical or literary
associations to add to the richness of the text. Some writers choose names of characters and places
because of their connotations.

Epiphany – when a character experiences a realization that leads to predisposes to a significant


change in views / behaviours.

Defamiliarization – writing to make everyday objects or experiences appear unfamiliar, usually with
the intention of changing the reader’s perspective. For example, describing the world through the
senses of an animal, someone undergoing a psychotic episode, a new arrival in a very different
culture or a blind person.

Diction – In literature, diction is less about pronunciation and more about the choice of words to
convey mood and character. Some words used to describe diction are formal, informal (such as
slang), poetic, ornate, sparse, colloquial, high–brow and archaic.

Exposition – The setting out of a story’s introductory information

Foreshadowing Hints about what happens or will appear later in a story. Astute readers will begin to
form theories as to why the hint, which can add to the tension or otherwise raise interest.

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Ideas for the Critique of Short Stories And Some Literary Terms

Inciting incident – what first enlivens the plot in motion by introducing conflict.

In medias res – (in the middle of things) beginning the story mid–plot. Usually a more dramatic
moment is chosen in order to hook the reader’s interest.

Irony – Using the gap between what is said and what is meant or between what happens and what is
expected to happen for literary effect.
 In verbal irony, characters say the opposite of what they mean.
 In irony of circumstance or situation, the opposite of what is expected occurs.
 In dramatic irony, a character speaks in ignorance of a situation or event known to the
readers or to the other characters.

Motif – a recurring feature of a story. It might be an image, type of action, a saying, an object or,
concept. While not symbols they convey symbolic information. They are often used to develop or
reinforce a story’s theme.

Narrator – the implied writer of a story as opposed to actual author.

Open Ending – rather than providing closure for readers, the ending is left to their imaginations.

Point of recognition – when a character understands what her or his situation really is.

Pre–critical response – reaction on first reading and before deliberately analysing text.

Single Effect – Poe argued that a short story should combine all of its elements and their interactions
to produce a unified effect, an intense experience in the reader. Thus every word should be selected
with care and anything not contributing to the effect should be deleted.

Stream of Consciousness – the illusion that the reader is accessing the protagonist’s perceptions,
emotions, recollections and ideas from moment to moment

Syntax – In linguistics, syntax refers to the rule that govern the way sentences are formed. In literary
studies it refers also to an author’s approach to forming sentences, including any disregarding of
conventional grammar. Thus the syntax used in a story forms part of an author’s style of writing.

Tone – the emotions with which views are expressed. Often contrasted with attitude, which is
intellectual and judgmental.

Trope – an idea that readers are likely to recognise. Tropes can be clichés, but they can also allow a
writer to skimp on explanation. For example, the wearing of spectacles to suggest someone is
bookish.

©2018 Paul Burns 10.01.2018 Page 5 of 5

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