How to Read a Short Story
1. As in poetry, it’s important to read the story first simply to enjoy it. Read carefully and try to understand what is happening in the story.
2. Next, read the story with a pen in hand, annotating as you read. Underline lines you find important, take notes. Circle words you don’t know and look up definitions. In this step, you are trying to uncover more meaning. Look at how the elements of fiction help the author to convey the theme/meaning of the story.
Elements of Fiction
Theme:
The theme of a story is what the story tells the audience about what it means to be human. This is often done through the journey of the main character–what they learn is perhaps what the audience is meant to learn, as well. Theme might incorporate broad ideas, such as life/death, madness/sanity, love/hate, society/individual, known/unknown, but it can also be focused more on the individual–ie midlife crisis or growing up.
This video focuses on theme from a film perspective, but it is an interesting discussion that is also applicable to the short story.
Characters/Archetypes
The characters are the people in a story. The narrator is the voice telling the story–the narrator may or may not be a character in the story. The protagonist is the central character. The antagonist is the force or character that opposes the main character.
The way an author creates a character is called characterization. Characters might be static (remain the same) or dynamic (change through the course of the story). Authors might make judgments, either explicit (stated plainly) or implicit (allowing the reader to judge), about the characters in a story.
When reading fiction, look for common archetypes. For example, some common female archetypes are the mad woman in the attic, the spinster, the good wife, and the seductress. For a great recap of common female archetypes, read this article.
Here’s a video on Archetype and Characterization from Shmoop:
Plot
The plot is the action of the story. It’s what is happening. An author might include foreshadowing of future events. There will be a conflict, a crisis (the turning point), and a resolution (how the conflict is resolved).
Another great video from Shmoop to describe plot:
Structure
The structure is the design or form of the story. The structure can provide clues to character and action and can mirror the author’s intentions. Look for repeated elements in action, gestures, dialogue, description, and shifts.
Here’s one way to look at this:
Setting
Setting is simply where and when the story takes place. Think of the typical fairy tale…”long ago, in a land far away…”
One more video from Shmoop on Setting:
Point of View
A text can be written from first (I/me), second (you), or third person (he/she/it) point of view.
Video on Point of View–a little long, but some really interesting things to think about!
Language & Style
Language and style are how the author presents the story to the reader. Look for diction, symbols, and irony.
- Diction: Diction is the way the author chooses to use words in the story. For example, authors might use formal or informal (everyday) language, slang, or colloquial diction in their work. The diction an author chooses helps to create the tone of the work. For example, in Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son,” he uses colloquial diction to more clearly portray the character in the poem.
- Symbolism: Symbolism occurs when an author uses an object, character, or event to represent something else in the work. Symbolism is often subtle, it can be unintentional, and it usually adds complexity to the work. For example, a dove often represents peace.
- Irony: Irony is the contrast between appearance/expectation and reality. Irony can be verbal (spoken), situational (something is supposed to happen but doesn’t), or dramatic (difference between what the characters know and what the audience knows).
This song includes many examples of irony…
Attribution
“How to Read a Short Story” created by Dr. Karen Palmer and licensed under CC BY NC SA.
“Elements of Fiction” created by Dr. Karen Palmer and licensed under CC BY NC SA.