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Setting Notes
English Composition 2
Setting Overview
The term “setting” refers to the place and time in which a story is set. Both time and place can mean several things.
Time:
Time of day (morning, afternoon)
Time of year (fall, winter)
Time in history (1954, current day)
Place
Inside or outside?
House, office, or warehouse?
Forest or field?
Germany or Japan?
Texas or Indiana?
Fort Worth or Dallas?
Setting Also Includes
Weather
Situational features (for fantasy or science fiction stories, information about the world in which a story takes place must be included. This is often called “world-building.”
Think of The Lord of the Rings, for example. The author has to share details about the fictional world and its features.
Social environment (Living and working conditions, dominant class or social issues in the time and place of the story, and challenges faced in the community)
Social Environment
The time period, location, and other setting details, in addition to information about the characters’ living and working conditions create a social environment for the story.
Social issues, class issues, and other societal factors encountered by the main character are part of the social environment.
For example, in “Sonny’s Blues,” parts of the social environment include the recent war, the challenges faced by African Americans during the time period, the civil rights movement, and urban drug use and poverty.
Setting Affects or Creates Mood
A rainy and dreary day in a gray parking lot conjures up a different feeling than a sunny day in a dewy, flower-filled field.
Every thing is done on purpose in a story, and that includes the setting (sometimes, setting is called “the backdrop.”)
As you read, ask yourself questions like:
Why the author made the choices he or she did about time of day, time of year, time in history?
Why did they choose the geographical and specific place they did?
What impact do these and other setting details have on the feeling created?
Setting questions
What is the story’s location?
What mood does the setting create or contribute to?
How is setting a window to the main character?
How does the setting affect the characters lives and attitudes?
What is the social environment?
Is weather an important factor?
Is the setting a comfortable one? Is it awkward? Is it brutal?
What are the living and working conditions?