The short story

This unit was prepared by Lynne Searle from Chifley College, Whalan campus.

Narrative
Features of the short story
Structure
Language
Narrator
Style
Train Game
Sample analysis: the style of the short story
References

Narrative

Narrative means story and stories are an integral part of our lives. We read stories in books and magazines, we view stories on television, video, and at the movies. When we tell our friends and family about the things we have been doing, we are telling them stories. We often embellish them, place emphasis on certain aspects, omit events or characters and tailor our language choices according to our audience, the context and our intended purpose. These are the things that writers do when they write stories. They make choices.

The stories you are asked to read in The Penguin Henry Lawson Short Stories are prose fiction. Short stories have features which distinguish them from longer stories, such as the novel. It is important that you understand and can identify and discuss the features of a short story.

Features of the short story ( On target, creating text for a purpose p. 206)

A short story is a brief narrative designed to be read at one sitting.

Some of the special features of the short story are:

• words chosen for their precision and power to develop a single situation or mood
• a limited time frame
• only one theme, usually about human conflict
• action which moves quickly: brief orientation, one main event, short resolution
• often past tense narration: mainly “saying” and “doing” verbs
• dialogue to create action
• a plot which ends suddenly at the climax
• usually one main character
• a few secondary characters not deeply developed.

Structure

A short story typically has a three part structure:

1. Beginning or orientation:

• presents the who, when, where, what and why of the story
• introduces the conflict or problem which triggers the action
• focuses readers’ attention, drawing them into the world of the story and involving them with its conflicts and mood.

2. Middle or rising action:

• presents a series of crisis points consisting of actions and reactions.

3. Ending or dénouement:

• presents the resolution of the conflict or the end of the story.

In developing the structure of a short story, the writer works with:

• theme (the controlling idea behind the story)
• characters (people in the story)
• setting (the place and time of the story)
• plot (the storyline which consists of a sequence of events)
• style (the way language is used).

Language

The language features of a short story include:

• a storyteller or “voice” in the story
• time words to connect
• dialogue
• action words which predominate in complication and resolution
• noun groups which are important in describing characters and setting
• imagery, eg. metaphor or comparisons using picture words.

Narrator

In a short story the narrator may be:

• A character in the story eg. “I” will indicate a first-person narrator
• A writer outside the story. eg.”he”, “she” or “they” will indicate if the narrator is third person:
• third person omniscient (knows what all the characters are thinking and feeling)
• third person limited (only knows what one character is thinking and feeling) or
• third person objective (can only give information through how the characters appear, what they do, their body language and what they say).

Style

Style is the way language is used to create a text. To be able to discuss the style of a text and, subsequently, be able to compare, contrast or evaluate its effectiveness, it is essential to understand what is meant by the term.

Below is a definition and a list of the features of style. When discussing any text, it is not necessary to discuss every feature of style. As you read you will become aware of those elements of style that are particularly significant to a given text.

(adapted from On target, creating text for a purpose pp 10-11).

In constructing text, writers and speakers draw on the language resources of our culture. Our language resources consist of:

• particular words
• structured patterns, or grammatical systems
• sounds
• symbols
• art or visual text.

However, each text will have its own structure and style. In addition, writers and speakers can develop a personal style which reflects their personality and talent for using language.

The features of a text’s style can be summarised as:

• word choice, eg nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, prepositions, pronouns
• sentence structure: long (compound or complex), short (simple or fragmented), short, medium or long paragraphs
• types of sentences: questions, commands, etc.
• punctuation
• types of words, eg emotive, technical, objective, imaginative, descriptive
• imagery, eg similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia, symbolism, repetition, alliteration
• use of dialogue or direct speech
• level of language, whether formal, informal or slang
• tone, eg happy, detached, oppressive, etc.
• graphics, eg, charts, diagrams, still or moving images, layout, font, etc.
• sound, eg intonation, rhythm, pace, pause, volume, accent, etc.
• body language, eg facial expression, eye contact, proximity, posture
• point of view: who is the speaker?
• force of opening and closing sentences

Train Game

Read Train Game, a short story written by Australian writer, Allan Baillie.

Sample analysis: the style of a short story

Train Game is a short story with a conventional structure. The reader is introduced to the characters and setting in the opening paragraphs. Terry’s behaviour, which precipitates the complication, is suggested right at the beginning as he “whooped”, “broke away” and “raced the slowing engine”. A sequence of events takes us to the climax of the story, which occurs at the very end as the reader is left to wonder exactly what happened to Debbie. There is room for conjecture as in the story Debbie’s fate is not explicitly stated. The reader can come to their own conclusions; did she fall out or was there something more sinister in her exit from the train?

The style of the story makes it accessible to the reader. The use of the third person omniscient allows the narrator to tell the story from more than one character’s point of view. The frequent use of dialogue allows the reader an understanding of each character’s feelings and the relationships among them. Terry’s resentment of Ian and Debbie’s relationship is shown when he complains about the “big joke”, that it was “not funny” except for “you and Debbie”. He baits Ian into dangerous behaviour by implying he lacks courage because he “swims with the bubs”. Ian seems unable to resist the challenge, but seems torn between Terry and Debbie, wanting to “leave Terry playing silly games and talk with Debbie”. Debbie seems more cautious, being aware of the danger as she was “beginning to plead” that it was “not funny any more”.

The reader is made aware of the movement of the train through the word choice. Initially Terry is “swaying gently” but the description of the grass as a “brown blur” and the “sudden rock of the carriage”, suggests that the speed of the train is increasing. This idea of speed is emphasised with the images of the wind making Terry, “weightless” and “the rushing tide of pebbles…trees, posts, bushes, spinning past”. The sounds of the train are created through the use of onomatopoeia, with the train being described as having “hissed” and “thundered” through the “mountain”. The sound imagery makes the story come alive for the reader.

The visual imagery used by the writer enables the reader to picture clearly the three young people on the train. The “great lumbering skateboard” is an effective description as we can envisage Ian trying to balance himself. The skateboard image conjures the idea of instability and precariousness. The images of the “cage” and the “circus” allow us to get an idea of Terry and his boisterous behaviour as we are struck by the associations of animals and clowns.

As the reader moves towards the climax, the tension rises. The image of the sun “exploding” is a powerful one, suggesting force and things being out of control. The one word paragraphs, “Blackness” and “Alone” add to the sense that something awful has happened. The desperation that the reader hears in the final, anguished “Debbie!” leaves us in no doubt that the outcome of this story has been tragic.

We have been taken on a journey, beginning with three young people going home from a day at the beach, light heartedly fooling around on the train. We have ended with a terrible accident. The conversational style of the narrative has allowed the reader to experience the events from the perspective of each character, and to form their own view of what really happened.

References

Baillie, Allan: Train game, in Baines, Richard (ed.): Splinters, Oxford, pp.125-128.

Robins, Elaine and Peter: The inside story, Oxford University Press:

• Interview transcript, p144
• Review, p146

Robins, Elaine and Peter: The story within, Oxford University Press:

• Feature article, p154
• Letter to the editor, p168
• Newspaper story, p161
• Opinionative essay, p158
• Personal letter, p163
• Report, p166
• Speech, p165
• Television script, p169.

Schill, Janne, On target, creating a text for a purpose, Heinnemann, pp10-11, pp206-7.

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