Note: Journal #2 is due on February 10th.
Setting
We all exist in a specific time and place. Our surroundings contribute not only to our personality, but also to our values, attitudes, and even our problems: setting similarly influences characters and what they do. Setting enables the reader to better envision how a story unfolds by relating necessary environmental details of a piece of literature. Setting is the time, place, physical details, and circumstances under which events occur. A setting may be simple or elaborate, used to create ambiance, lend credibility or realism, emphasize or accentuate, organize, or even distract the reader. There are two basic components to setting:
Time
We need to consider four kinds of time that may carry specific associations with them:
Clock time: The hour, minute, or second. This may be used to provide suspense or create specific moods or feelings.
Calendar time: The day, month, year, or more generally a day of the week or time of the month. Calendar time may also inform the reader of holidays or celebrations if the piece of literature is set in a familiar culture.
Seasonal time: The seasons or a span of time associated with a particular activity. A beach party set in the dead of winter suggests something different than one set in summer.
Historical time: This can help establish a psychological or sociological understanding of behaviours and attitudes. A novel set in the 1800s, for example, would suggest a completely different social environment than one set in 2033.
Place
We may find immediate significance in the physical environment where the events of the novel occur, but we need to pay attention to the nonphysical as well as the physical environment.
The physical environment, including weather conditions, immediate surroundings, and geography may be explicitly described.
The nonphysical environment includes cultural influences such as a character's education, social standing, economic class, and religious belief. These may be revealed by physical properties in the scene or through a characters' dialogue, thoughts, statements, and behaviours. The nonphysical environment also includes the political and social environment surrounding the character.
Uses of setting
Setting may be nothing more than the backdrop for what occurs; however, it is often directly linked to mood or meaning.
It can create an atmosphere that affects our response to the work.
It may have a direct effect on a character's motivation.
An external force may enter the setting and change it, causing conflict for the characters.
The setting itself may be an antagonist: Character v Nature.
Two settings may come into conflict with each other, causing conflict in the characters who must live in them and perhaps have to choose between them.
Name: __________________ Block:______
English 11 Setting Grid
| Setting Element | Textual Example | Reason/Explanation of choice |
| Clock Time |
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| Calendar Time |
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| Seasonal Time |
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| Historical Time |
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| The Physical Environment |
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| The Nonphysical Environment |
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Reading for setting
Sometimes the setting is clearly described by the narrator. However, some works will require you to search for clues, particularly with regard to the nonphysical environment. Here are some tips:
Learn about the author and the time and place of writing.
Note suggestive details in character dialogue and narration: Names, places, objects, events.
Note unique uses of language and, perhaps, hidden references to the historical or cultural environment.
