Short Stories
A short story has no room to waste. Everything in it is there for a reason — which is exactly what examination questions are about.
What to notice in a short story
- Where does it begin? A short story usually begins as late as possible, close to the moment of change. Ask what the writer has left out, and why.
- Who is telling it? First person (I) puts you inside one mind and limits what you can know. Third person can move between characters or stay with one. The choice always affects your sympathy.
- Where does it turn? Almost every short story has one moment after which nothing can go back to how it was. Find it. Most essay questions circle around it.
- How does it end? Short stories often end without resolving everything. An unresolved ending is a deliberate choice, not a failure, and saying what it leaves open is often worth marks.
- What is the setting doing? In a short story, setting is rarely decoration. Heat, rain, a cramped room or a long road usually carry meaning.
The parts of a short story
| Part | What it does | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Exposition | Establishes who, where and when | How quickly does the writer get through it? |
| Complication | Introduces the problem or tension | What exactly changes, and who causes it? |
| Rising action | Increases the pressure | What is at stake, and for whom? |
| Climax | The moment of greatest tension or decision | What is decided here that cannot be undone? |
| Falling action | The consequences | Who has to live with the result? |
| Resolution | How things are left | What is settled, and what is deliberately not? |
Character in a short story
There is no space for a full life history, so a short-story writer shows character in small ways: one decision, one refusal, one gesture, one thing a character notices when others do not.
In an answer, therefore, do not describe a character in adjectives. Take one action and explain what it reveals. He was kind is worth little. He gives away the last of his rice without mentioning it to anyone, which shows a generosity that does not want to be seen is worth a great deal more, because it is grounded in the text.
Narration and point of view
- First person — I. Immediate and intimate, but you only know what the narrator knows, and the narrator may be mistaken or unfair. Always ask whether you trust them.
- Third person limited — the story follows one character's perspective. You see others only from the outside.
- Third person omniscient — the narrator can enter any mind. Ask whose mind the writer chooses to enter, and whose is kept closed to us.
- A useful examination question to be ready for: How would the story be different if it were told by another character? The answer is always about sympathy and about what would be hidden.
The commonest short-story mistake
Retelling the story. An answer that narrates events from beginning to end, however accurately, is not answering a question. The examiner knows the story.
The test: could someone who had not read the story understand your answer? If yes, you may be summarising. Could someone who had read it learn something from you? If no, you are certainly summarising.