2. Definition of Setting A story’s setting is the time period and place in which the action of the story takes place. Setting establishes the main backdrop and mood for a story. Definition of Mood A story’s mood, or atmosphere, affects the way we feel as we read. Mood is created by an author’s word choice and by details of setting.

3. Time Time of day—morning or evening? Day of the week—Tuesday or Saturday? Month—December or June? Year—1492 or 2011? Geographical Location Baltimore? Japan? Nigeria? Spatial Location An abandoned building? A train station? The grocery store? Weather Freezing rain? A hurricane? Scorching heat? Historical Context and Customs Colonial America? World War II? Civil Rights Movement?

4. A story’s mood is determined by the type of setting in which the story occurs. Below are a few examples of settings and possible moods they might convey: at a haunted house spooky, scary at a funeral mournful, sorrowful at a party celebratory, happy

5. Now you try! Describe the mood for the following: at the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2015 on the Titanic just after it struck the iceberg in Memphis the night Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated

6. Alexandre Antigna’s The Fire (France, 1851)

7. How can you recognize setting and mood in art?

8. Identify the subject of the painting. An artist centers a painting around a focal point, or the most dramatic point of interest.

9. How does Antigna portray the setting in this painting? Support your answer with details from the scene.

10. Evaluate the importance of setting in the painting. Is the setting simply part of the background, or does it take on a more dominant role?

11. Notice the flames outside the door. What mood does this setting detail convey?

12. Notice that the children are with their mother and not their father. How does this detail contribute to the mood of the painting and foreshadow future events? Explain.

14. This is Jackson’s most famous short story. Its initial publication in 1948 was extremely controversial. Jackson’s response to the widespread criticism was simple: “It’s just a story.”