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.