ological analysis, as James' _Madonna of the
Future_; and so on.

III

THE SHORT-STORY AS NARRATION

All the previous discussion must not obscure the fact that the
short-story is a form of narration and subject to all that pertains
thereto. Now what is narration and what does it imply?

Narration is that form of discourse which presents a series of events in
the order of time. Events or action presuppose actors, or characters as
they are generally called, and a place where the action may take place;
likewise time and circumstances within which the actors act. These
three, which may be conveniently spoken of as actors, action, and
environment, are three of the elements of narration. But there is a
fourth. To make an interesting story there must be something for the
chief character, technically called the protagonist, to overcome, such
as an adversary, a situation, or an idea, which thing is called the
obstacle. Furthermore, there must be something in the story near the
beginning which brings the protagonist into conflict with the obstacle.
Often this conflict, technically the collision, is brought about by
another character. But it may be some happening. Whatever it is, it is
called the complicating force. Then again, toward the end of the story,
there is something else which either helps the protagonist to overcome
the obstacle, or the obstacle to overcome the protagonist. This is
called the resolving force.

As these two forces work in different parts of the story, the action is
conveniently divided into parts to which names have been attached. First
comes the introduction or proposition, wherein the time, place,
circumstances, and protagonist are presented; then the entanglement,
wherein the protagonist is brought into collision with the obstacle by
the complicating force, and the interest begins to deepen. Next we have
the climax, in which the struggle, and consequently the interest, are at
their height; and this in turn is followed by the resolution, where the
resolving force works and the knot begins to be untied. Finally there is
the denouement or conclusion.

The career of each character may be conveniently spoken of as a line of
interest. When the lines of interest become entangled we have the plot.

The following diagram illustrates to the eye the development of a story.
Of course it must be distinctly understood that no story is the result
of a mere substitution in a formula. Sometimes the various st