小说构成要素March,2007AStructuredApproachtotheShortStoryThetermstructureasappliedtoashortstory,ortoanyformofliteraryart,isametaphoricalexpressionreferringtothearchitectural-likepatternofthework.Muchlikeabuilding,ashortstoryisanorderlyarrangementofindividualpartsputtogethertoformacohesivewhole.Inabuilding,theconstituentelementsarephysicalandexistinspace;inashortstory,theelementsareintangibles,buttheytooarearrangedinaccordancewithacarefullyconceivedplan.Insteadofexistinginspace,theseelementsexistasideasinthemindofthewriterthataretransferredtothemindofthereaderthroughthemediumoftheprintedpage.Thestructureisthenre-createdinthereader’smindasthestoryisread.Behindthisconceptofstructureliestheassumptionthattheauthorhasanawarenessandunderstandingoftheneedforthestructureintheworkandthat,inwritingthestory,hasmadedeliberatechoicesintheselectionofdetailsandhascarefullyarrangedthesedetailsintoameaningful,aestheticpattern.Afurtherassumptionisthatfullofappreciationofastorybythereaderdemandssomeawarenessandunderstandingofitsstructure.Initsbroadestsense,structureincludesalltheelementsinastory:plot,characterandcharacterization,pointofview,language,whichcanberealistic,symbolicorallegory,andtheme.Instudyingliteraturefromastructuralpointofview,onemaydealwiththeseelementsseparately,atfirst;however,theultimateobjectiveistoseetheworkasawholeandtobecomeawareofhowthepartsareintegratedtoproduceacompositeeffect.ElementsofPlotSimplystated,plotisthearrangementoftheeventsinastoryintoacausalsequences.Althoughtheshortstoryisoneofthemostflexiblevehiclesforthediverseelementsofaplot,thisflexibilityandvarietydoesnotreducethevalueofasystematicandevenorthodoxapproachtoplotconstruction.Amongtheformalelementsofplotare:exposition,background;conflict,theoppositionofforces,internalorexternal;complication,thedevelopmentofpredictableorunforeseencontingenciesintheaction;foreshadowing,ahintofwhatistocome;reversal,achangeinfortuneexperiencedbytheprotagonist;denouement,thefinaloutcomeofthesequenceofevents;andinsight,recognitionbytheprotagonistofhisorhernatureorfate.CharacterandCharacterizationCharacterandcharacterizationarecloselyrelatedbutessentiallydifferentconcepts.Characterreferstooneofthepersonsinthestory----theendresultoftheauthor’sefforttocreateafictionalpersonality.Characterization,ontheotherhand,referstothemeansbywhichthewritercreatesthesumoftraits,thoughts,andactionswhich,takentogether,constituteacharacter.Atthesimplestlevel,literarycharactersmaybelongtoanumberofstocktypes.…….Withcreativeimagination,however,awritermaystartoutwithcommonplacecharactersanddevelopthemintouniversalfigures,farbeyondtheoriginalcardboarddimensionsofthestereotypestowhichtheyarerelated.DonQuixote,Hamlet,orHuckFin,tonameafew,escapetheconfinesoftheirtypes---theimpracticaldo-gooder,theslow-to-actintellectual,andtheboywhorebelsagainstthemoresofhissociety---andtranscendtheirliteraryconfinestobecomesymbolsofhumanaspirations.Anotherconceptrelatingtocharacteristhatofflatness,oritsopposite,roundedness.Ifthestoryisashortone,theauthormaycreateonlyflatcharacters,thatis,characterswhoseessencemaybesummedupinaphrase.Ifthestoryrequiresit,asisusuallythecase,awritermaycreatearoundedcharacter,thatis,acharacterwhoissocomplexastorequireextendedanalysis.Bothtypesofcharactersmayappearinthesamestory,dependingontheirimportanceandthelengthofthestory.Literary...