The Background of Place, Objects, and Culture in Literature Writing About Setting The Background of Place, Objects, and Culture in Literature

What is Setting? Setting is the natural, manufactured, political, cultural, and temporal environment, including everything that characters know and own. Characters may be either helped or hurt by their surroundings, and they may fight about possessions and goals. When characters speak with each other, they reveal the degree to which they share the customs and ideas of their times.

Three Basic Types of Settings Private Homes, Public Buildings, and Various Possessions are Important in Literature Interior and Exterior of houses Possessions: Christmas trees, clocks, and other times around the house What do these reveal? What could the gain or loss of a comfortable house represent?

Three Basic Types of Setting Outdoor Places are Scenes of Many Literary Actions The natural world is an obvious location for narratives Check the weather! Check the landscape! How do these things interact with the character?

Writing About Setting 3. Cultural and Historical Circumstances Are Often Prominent in Literature What is going on during the time period in which the story was written? How would a story taking place in Germany immediately following WWI differ from a story that takes place in Germany during the 1990’s?

Checking the Weather In this scene from The Shawshank Redemption, how what does this weather symbolize after he escapes from jail? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neO5fnwQjqg Or what about this clip from Lord of the Rings? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN1ahA0tfWY

Activity Discussion of the DN question: “In the Shadow of War” How does the author use the basic types of setting?

What is the Importance of Setting? Essential to the story The amount of detail changes with the author’s purpose Augmenting a work’s realism and credibility Establishing a realism Works of fantasy that take place in a setting based on reality Establishing “rules” of the society Setting may accentuate qualities of character How do characters respond and adjust to the setting? What does this say about their strengths and weaknesses? How does the whiskey priest respond to his surroundings?

What is the Importance of Setting? Setting is a means by which authors shape their works A change in setting could lead to a character meeting someone with whom they would usually not cross paths “Frame Setting” Setting may be symbolic If the scenes and materials of setting are highlighted or emphasized, they also may be taken as symbols through which the author expresses ideas. How is the true in The Power and the Glory? Setting may contribute to atmosphere and mood Weather Sights, smells, sounds, etc…

What is the Importance of Setting? Setting may underscore irony “Waiting for Godot” Breakfast at Tiffany’s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hGSuj8tEs0

Raising Questions How extensive are the visual descriptions? What connections, if any, are apparent between locations and characters? How fully are objects described?’ How do the economic conditions of the characters affect what happens to them? Their actions? Attitudes? What cultural, religious, and political conditions are brought out in the story? What is the state of houses, furniture, and objects? Do characters respect or mistreat the environment? What conclusions do you think the author expects you to draw as a result of the neighborhood, culture, or larger world?