Do Now: If you were the director of a movie, where would the setting be? Why would it be in this location?

Setting What does setting do for the reader? I want to hear examples.

Setting Setting is the time, place, physical details, and circumstances in which a situation occurs. Setting provides a frame for readers to look through and think about as they read literature. Setting includes the background, atmosphere and/or environment in which characters live and where actions in the novel usually occur.

Setting and The Bell Jar As we’ve gone over before, the beginning of the novel takes place in 1950’s New York City. New York City: Populated, crowded, fast- moving The Amazon: The women’s hotel where Esther and the rest of the internship winners are staying.

How does New York City make Esther Feel? While Esther is in New York City, she remarks to herslef, “I don’t know where in the world I was” (Plath 17). Esther’s time in New York City was marked by anxiousness; she did not understand cultural norms like tipping, taking small portions at fashion events, and the adventurous nightlife.

Esther’s Childhood Home 1950’s Post-WW2 Suburban Boston Esther describing coming back home: “I slunk down on the middle of my spine, my nose level with the rim of the window, and watched the houses of outer Boston glide by. As the houses grew more familiar, I slunk still lower. I felt it was very important not to be recognized” (Plath 114). From this description, how do you think Esther feels about coming home?

Scenery Change Emotionally, how does Esther respond to being back home from a hectic internship in the city? How are her actions when she gets back home? Do any of her actions seem peculiar? (check out page 119)

The State Mental Hospital Setting How does Esther describe the patients at the state hospital? Please look back to page 141 and annotate this passage in the text

The State Mental Hospital Setting “I focused more closely, trying to pry some clue from their stiff postures. I made out men and women, and boys and girls who must be as young as I, but there was a uniformity to their faces, as if they had lain for a long time on a shelf, out of the sunlight, under the sifts of pale, fine dust” (Plath 141)

Setting change Does the State Mental Hospital scare Esther? “As Doctor Gordon led me into a bare room at the back of the house, I saw that the windows in that part were indeed barred, and that the room door and the closet door and the drawers of the bureau and everything that opened and shut was fitted with a keyhole so it could be locked up” (Plath 143)

Private Mental Facility “I walked back to the lounge. I couldn’t understand what these people were doing, playing badminton and golf. They mustn’t be really sick at all, to do that” (Plath 188).

Partnered Activity With a partner, I want you to transplant Esther out of the state hospital and into another setting, a setting where she would feel comfortable. 1. List the setting-Where would you put Esther? 2. Knowing Esther and her poor mental health, why would this setting make her comfortable? 3. Please use at least one (1) direct quotes from the text to support your reasoning. In six (6) complete sentences, you and your partner must come up with a rationale. Each member must hand in a copy.

Example Setting: A rehabilitation center on the beach Rationale: My partner and I would put Esther on the beach. In New York City, she found herself wound up and anxious by the culture and all the people. Additionally, Esther drank alcohol in New York City, which had negative results on her emotionally. At home in the suburbs, Esther is on the verge of suicide. While she’s home, all she does is lay in bed and do strange things like dropping “raw eggs into a teacup of raw hamburger” and then proceeding to eat it (Plath 119). The state hospital seems dated, both in the way it looks and mental health practice. At a beachside rehabilitation center, Esther can relax, get healthy treatment, and maybe focus on her writing!

Group Recap What setting did your group choose?

Exit Slip I will now hand out your exit slip, please give it to me before you leave.