1. Setting Terms Literary Understanding Time Place Mood Social Setting
Examples
Understanding
Literary
Terms
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2. What Is Setting?
To put it simply, the setting is the time and place of the action in a fictional story.
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3. The setting of any story includes three closely related aspects:
 1. The physical world of the work.
 2. The time in which the action takes place.
 3. The social environment of the characters
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4. Micro & Macro Setting
The macro setting is the big idea. The micro setting is a place within the macro setting.
Macro: The 1920’s in New York
Micro: The Gatsby’s house
Macro: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Micro: Ponyboy’s house
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5. Physical World
The physical setting includes the author’s description of the place, scenery, weather, location, season etc. A good author sets the scene of the physical world, so the reader is able to transport themselves into the world of the characters.
Some words you might use for the physical world include city, state, country, castle, cottage, snowy, sunny, summer, park etc.
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6. Time
The time in which the action takes place could include information on the time of day, time of year, or even a particular time in history!
Some words you might use for the time period could include afternoon, evening, the future, colonial times, etc
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7. Social Environment
The social environment of the setting includes the manners, customs, and moral values of the characters’ society. This could include local customs or societal norms that differ from the modern day world of the reader, or from a country that is foreign to the reader.
Some words you might use for the social environment might be traditions, customs, norms, values, manners etc.
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8. Setting Checklist To recap, the setting details could describe:
It may include geographical location, historical period, season, weather time of day, and even local customs and manners. Setting helps build background for a story and can affect the tone and mood.
Setting Checklist
To recap, the setting details could describe:
Time of day
Time of year
Time in History
Scenery
Weather
Location
Season
Local customs
Societal norms
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9. Setting Description
A good setting allows the reader to easily visualize the places in the story. A good author will include detailed descriptions of the setting which use imagery (5 senses)
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10. “It was foggy beside the water”
Hear The Difference!
Listen to the difference between a basic setting description and a more detailed one which uses imagery:
“It was foggy beside the water” OR
“The waves crashed loudly against the shoreline. The fog lifted lightly and the medieval castle came into view. It was a beautiful site! The fog brushed my face and I could smell the smoke from the fire in the distance and taste the sea salt on my lips.”
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11. Setting - Mood
The setting can also create a particular mood. This means it can affect the way we, the reader, feel. Consider the following settings.
What mood do they evoke?
Peaceful & Tranquil
Mysterious & Frightening
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12. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
Examples!
Click the images below (in full screen mode) to see video clip examples of movies where the setting plays a crucial role in driving the plot. In fact, some may argue that the setting itself becomes a character!
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
Alice In Wonderland
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13. Here are a few more to consider:
Examples!
Can you think of any other movies or novels that have a crucial setting?
Here are a few more to consider:
Lord Of The Rings
The Hunger Games
Harry Potter
The Diary Of Anne Frank
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14. Setting Tour Guide
Imagine you have been given the task of conducting a tour of the place in which the story you read is set. Write your tour guide script by introducing the tour, describing the physical world, time period, and social environment in which the characters live. You should also discuss the places where important events in the story occurred.
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