3S Plot as a Short-Story Narrative Technique

Abstract

This paper proposes the 3S plot as a valid methodology for short-story narrative techniques. The 3S plot is an application of three elements represented by English words starting with s, namely situation, space, and stage, which are combined in a short story. To explain the principle, I analyzed Hwang Soon-won’s “Hak Crane” and Oh Henry’s “20 Years Later,” followed by novels that represent each regiment, such as Lucky Day (Hyun Jin-gun, 1924), When Buckwheat Flowers Bloom (Lee Hyo-seok, 1936), Two Generations Who Suffered (Ha Geun-chan, 1959), Mujin Travel (Kim Seung-ok, 1964), Way to Sampo (Hwang Seok-young, 1973), and Father’s Land (Im Chul-woo, 1981). In the 3S plot, situation refers to an intensive present time with past events based on the characteristics of a narrative in which short stories are aggregated. Space is built by adding specificity and a sense of reality as a site where events take place. Stage refers to the dramatic scene in which the case is resolved—especially at the end—and its effect. Short stories can have a significant effect with 3S plots that provide specificity and reality, while the character is highlighted based on situations that strengthen concentration by aggregating past events in the current situation. In such a 3S plot, it is not reasonable to only state past events without considering the time condition of the present or to present situations in which the intervention of past events is weak. In addition, the 3S plot is explained more flexibly when the space reveals aspects such as space movement or distribution of places and when the stage effect seems to be insignificant due to an open ending that does not show a clear solution to the case.