Setting

The setting of a piece of literature is the time and place in which the story takes place. 

The definition of setting can also include social statuses, weather, historical period, and details about immediate surroundings. 

Settings can be real or fictional, or a combination of both real and fictional elements. Some settings are very specific (Wulfhall in Wiltshire England in 1500), while others are descriptive (a boat out on the ocean). 

Most pieces of literature include more—or many more—than one setting, either as the narrative progresses through time or to include points of view from more than one character.

Setting is sometimes also called "the scene" or "sense of place."

Far from being just a "backdrop" for the story, the setting of a piece of literature often shapes the story's main events and motivates the characters to act as they do.

Many works of literature have multiple settings—whether that means moving between the interior and exterior of the same house, different countries, or different centuries. It is important to note how plot developments and character developments correspond to changes in the setting.

Understanding Setting

Setting is an essential component of literature, and it's one of the first things a writer considers when he or she invents a story. 

It not only influences a story's characters and events, but also enhances the reader's ability to imagine those characters and events. 

In other words, setting the scene lets the reader know what type of literary world he or she is entering, so that he or she can get "grounded" and experience it more fully. But well-developed settings don't necessarily need to be richly detailed.

Setting and Exposition

The most important components of setting, such as the overarching time period and location in which a piece of literature takes place, are usually introduced in the exposition of a text (which is often at its beginning). 

However, it's wise not to tune out once you know the general where and when of a narrative, since setting often shifts. 

Observing changes in the time of day, the seasons, the weather, the geography and the landscape throughout any given story will enrich your understanding of its characters, their relationships to place, as well as their social and national identities.

Aspects of Setting

The setting of a story can involve a number of elements:

  • The physical location: The physical realities of where the story takes place, including geography, landscape, and other factors (urban or rural; domestic or wild; inside or out; on earth or in space).
  • Time: When does the story take place? In the past, the future, the present? What are the particular details of that time.
  • The social milieu: Setting is not just about the physical aspects. It's also about the social world. Is the setting wealthy or poor? Homogenous or diverse? Are things improving or getting worse?
  • Change: Setting can also be affected by how it changes, either over time (the changing seasons or the construction of a house or town or city), or suddenly (a terrible storm). The changes that do (or don't) affect a setting are as important as the setting itself.

The more specific an author can be with their setting, the more real the story will feel and the more the setting will start to "reach out" and affect the characters and their actions, in the same way the world around living people affects how they act and think.