The plot of a story refers to the sequence of events that make up the narrative. It includes the exposition, where characters and setting are introduced, followed by rising action, where the central conflict develops. This conflict reaches its peak during the climax, before being resolved during the falling action. Finally, the story concludes with the resolution, where loose ends are tied up, and the outcome of the conflict becomes clear.

In a short story, a linear plot progresses chronologically from beginning to end without interruption, following a straightforward narrative structure. Events unfold in sequential order, with each action leading naturally to the next, ultimately reaching a resolution or conclusion. 

A flashback plot in a short story involves interrupting the main narrative to present events that occurred in the past. These flashbacks provide context, backstory, or insight into characters' motivations, allowing readers to better understand the present situation. Once the flashback is over, the narrative returns to the main storyline, seamlessly continuing the progression toward the resolution. Flashbacks are often used to add depth to characters or to reveal important information that impacts the story's present events. 

1. Agatha Christie's Death On The Nile (1937) 

In Death on the Nile, the perspective is from the point of view of private detective Hercule Poirot, who has to unravel the seemingly impossible murder of wealthy, unpopular heiress Linnet Ridgeway aboard a river cruise on the Nile. The reader is only allowed the information that Poirot has access to and can draw conclusions based only on what he discovers during his investigation. 

2. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813) 

Pride & Prejudice is told from the point of view of the main protagonist Elizabeth Bennett; her experiences and feelings are shared with the reader from her perspective - her deception by Captain Wickham is revealed only when she discovers the truth - not through an omniscient narrator, but because she hears the facts from Darcy's housekeeper.

3. Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm (1932) 

Stella Gibbon's parody of the gothic and regional novel is told through the eyes of its main character, Flora Poste, as she undertakes to sort out her rustic relatives on a farm and drag them into the 20th century.

1. “The Odyssey (Book 9)” by Homer (around 725-675 BCE)

The first flashback example is from Book 9 of the Odyssey, where Odysseus dramatically describes his adventures after leaving Troy in an extended monologue to Lord Alcinous. Odysseus continues speaking throughout Book 9 and Book 10, with the story returning to the present day of the narrative part way through Book 11, in the lines “Odysseus paused. All Phaeacians sat in silence / saying not a word, spellbound in the shadowy hall.”

 2. “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë (1847)

Wuthering Heights begins with Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, narrating in the first person. He asks his housekeeper Nelly Dean to tell him the history of Wuthering Heights, particularly of his inhospitable landlord Heathcliff. Nelly then becomes the narrator of the past narrative — which takes up the bulk of the book.