Setting and Mood
• Setting: time and place of the story
• Writers create setting through:
– Details that suggest time of day, year, season,
historical period
– Descriptions of characters, clothing, buildings,
weather, and landscapes
Setting and Mood
• Mood: feeling or atmosphere writer creates
for readers
– Developed through use of imagery, word choice,
and details
• Setting details can help establish a mood
Setting and Mood
• In some stories, setting is crucial to meaning
• Let’s brainstorm a list of stories or films in which setting is
very important:
• For example: Titanic, Hunger Games
Setting
Story Title
The Setting
Effect on Story
Element
Star Wars
The future in space
The whole story is
about wars in
space
Sponge bob
Under the sea
He is a sponge
Setting and Mood
• Now take that same chart and list the mood.
Setting
Mood
Story Title
The Setting
Effect on Story
Element
What created the
mood
Effect
Sponge bob
Under the sea
about a sponge
The characters,
under the ocean
Happy
Now turn to page 29
• Ethan Frome
Plot
•
•
•
•
The elements of a story (series of scenes)
What happens
Conflict: struggle b/t opposing forces
Internal: Taking place within the mind of a
character
• External: Taking place between a character
and an outside source (another charcter,
society, nature, etc.)
5 Stages of Plot
1. Exposition: Intro. of setting, characters, mood
2. Rising action: Conflict established, characters
respond
3. Climax: Turning point, decision is made
4. Falling action: Shows results of decision
5. Resolution: final outcome
Think, Pair, Share…
• Your first crush…
– Who was it (come up with a fake name if you need
to)?
– When was it?
– How did you act around them?
– Does love make you do crazy things?
Turn to page 31
“The Bass, The River and Sheila Man
By W.D. Wetherell
Conflict:
a struggle between two opposing forces
There are two kinds:
• internal
man vs. himself—the struggle takes place in the
character’s mind or heart
• external
man vs. an outside force—the struggle is against
another man, nature, the environment, the
supernatural, society
Allusion:
a brief reference to a well-known person, event,
or place (real or fictitious) or to a work of art.
• Allusions are drawn from history, geography,
literature, or religion.
Allusion:
In this short story, there are allusions to two
historical figures:
• Jackie Onassis
• Ann-Margret
Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Wife of JFK; famous
first lady noted for
her fashion sense &
the pillbox hat;
married Greek
millionaire after
assassination of
JFK; led life of
wealthy recluse.
From President’s Widow to Millionaire’s
Wife
Ann-Margret
A popular actress in the ’60s
1960’s Version of Megan Fox
Background Info: When the narrator mentions the
Dartmouth Heavyweight Crew, he is talking about
sculling.
Vocabulary to Understand:
Denizens—inhabitants
Pensive—dreamily thoughtful
Dubious—doubtful
Antipathy—strong dislike
Filial—pertaining to a son or daughter
Surreptitiously—sneakily
Conspicuous—obvious or very easy to see
Concussion—powerful shock or impact
Luminous—glowing or giving off light
Quizzical—puzzled or questioning
Agree or Disagree?
• Teenage boys often fall for older girls.
• Teenagers often do silly things for love.
• Boys are more self-centered than girls.
• Bad decisions often “haunt” the decision
maker.
Plot, Setting, Mood
• Identify Plot, Setting, and Mood using LAWS
(Literary Analysis Worksheet)