Setting

Definition of Setting

Setting, quite simply, is the story’s time and place. While setting includes simple attributes such as climate or wall décor, it can also include complex dimensions such as the historical moment the story occupies or its social context. Because particular places and times have their own personality or emotional essence (such as the stark feel of a desert or the grim, wary resolve in the United States after the September 11th attacks), setting is also one of the primary ways that a fiction writer establishes mood. Typically, short stories occur in limited locations and time frames, such as the two rooms involved in Kate Chopin’s "The Story of an Hour," whereas novels may involve many different settings in widely varying landscapes. Even in short stories, however, readers should become sensitive to subtle shifts in setting. For example, when the grieving Mrs. Mallard retires alone to her room, with "new spring life" visible out the window, this detail about the setting helps reveal a turn in the plot. Setting is often developed with narrative description, but it may also be shown with action, dialogue, or a character’s thoughts.

social context: The significant cultural issues affecting a story’s setting or authorship

mood: The underlying feeling or atmosphere produced by a story

Setting Exercise

Characters in a story all have to interact in one way or another with its setting. Setting can often help reveal character traits, and it is one of the primary ways an author establishes the story’s mood. In some stories, the setting can strongly affect the plot, functioning almost like another character. An example of this is Jack London’s “To Build a Fire,” in which the frozen Yukon functions as an antagonist. More commonly, though, the setting is always there as a foundation for the story—illuminating character aspects, influencing actions, and helping to set the mood.

INSTRUCTIONS

For this exercise, select one place from the list below and type it into the text box.

Places:

a sports stadium

a desert valley

a city street

a hotel suite

a used car lot

an emergency room

a train

Question

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Next, select one descriptive detail of setting and type it into the text box.

Descriptive Details:

on Halloween

during a heat wave

after the United States has miraculously won the World Cup in soccer

after the September 11 attacks

in the year 2050

during a power outage

on the day of a wedding

as a huge comet is about to hit the Earth

Question

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Using the selected combination as a starting point, write a brief description of this setting, including additional details to help develop it.

Question

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What mood is created by the setting you described? Explain how the setting's details help to establish its mood.

Question

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