What is SETTING?

The natural, manufactured and cultural
environment in which the characters live
and move.
Types of SETTING

NATURE AND THE OUTDOORS –
Obviously, this includes all the usual
things in nature like mountains and
rivers, but also includes weather and
atmosphere like sunlight, darkness,
rain, and snow.
Types of SETTING:

OBJECTS OF HUMAN
MANUFACTURE – The quilt of
“Everyday Use” or the battered Chevy
Bel Air in “Greasy Lake” are important to
their stories. Even the small objects like
the jar of herrings in the “A&P” reveal or
highlight qualities of character and give
literature verisimilitude.
Types of SETTING:

CULTURAL CONDITIONS – Just as
physical settings influence the
characters, so do the historical and
cultural conditions. The culture of the
town in “The Lottery” maintains a
primitive, violent ritual despite the
scientific and moral values of our
current age.
PURPOSE OF SETTING

Make the Story Believable – it can make
the conflict and the characters lifelike
and real.
PURPOSE OF SETTING

Make the Story Believable – it can make
the conflict and the characters lifelike
and real. E.g. – Walker’s loving
description of the house and yard in
rural Georgia in “Everyday Use” make
the actions of the characters
understandable.
PURPOSE OF SETTING:

Bring Out Qualities in a Character –
sometimes a setting can force a
character do things he/she might not
normally do. It can reveal things about
them.
PURPOSE OF SETTING:

Bring Out Qualities in a Character – E.g.
– In the “Saboteur” Mr. Chiu, an
otherwise respectable citizen, reveals a
dark, vengeful side of his personality
that leads to the infection of hundreds of
people and the deaths of eight people.
PURPOSE OF SETTING

Setting Used for Symbolism – the
setting can be used to represent
something more than what it is.
PURPOSE OF SETTING

Setting Used for Symbolism – the setting can
be used to represent something more than
what it is. E.g. – Just as the lake in “Greasy
Lake” has fallen from its ideal, pure state, the
people who go there have fallen from their
ideals as well.
PURPOSE OF SETTING

Create Atmosphere – the setting can be
used to represent a particular mood or
feeling.
PURPOSE OF SETTING

Create Atmosphere – the setting can be
used to represent a particular mood or
feeling.
PURPOSE OF SETTING

Create Atmosphere – E. g. - The war
torn Dublin with its dark rooftops and
erratic gunshots in the story of the “The
Sniper” helps creates a mood of
suspicion, fear and violence.
PURPOSE OF SETTING:

Emphasize Irony – sometimes the
setting can be used to contrast what is
in the story.
PURPOSE OF SETTING:

Emphasize Irony –
sometimes the setting
can be used to contrast
what is in the story. E.g.
– In “The Lottery” the
picturesque Vermont
village on a beautiful
spring day contrasts with
the evil purposes of the
lottery of the story.