Understanding Setting in Literature

Setting in Stories

• Setting encompasses time, place, and duration of a story.
• Place can be real or imagined.
• Time can be past, present, or future.
• Authors use details like landscape, climate, and societal aspects to create a setting.
• Techniques like imagery and exposition establish the setting.
• Imagery is descriptive; exposition introduces characters, time, place, and general information.

Types of Setting

• Backdrop Setting: vague time and place.
• Temporal Setting: focuses on the time period (e.g., Victorian Era).
• Environmental Setting: focuses on the location (e.g., Middle East).
• Individual Setting: specific locations and times (e.g., grandma's house).

Story Elements

• Characters, plot, conflict, resolution, and setting are vital parts of a story.

Theme in Literature

• Themes are overarching ideas or concepts in a literary work.
• Major themes run throughout an entire piece; minor themes are specific to sections.
• Themes often stem from personal experiences or opinions.
• Examples include love, redemption, forgiveness, coming-of-age, revenge, good vs. evil, bravery, and survival.

Distinguishing Theme from Other Literary Devices.

• Theme is distinct from morals, mood, and subject.
• Morals are specific lessons for readers (e.g., "don't judge a book by its cover").
• Mood is the overall atmosphere of a work, conveyed by words and descriptions (e.g., "cheerful" mood).
• Subject is the foundational, central topic of a story (e.g., religion in "The DaVinci Code").

Fiction Writing and Style

• Fiction writing uses imagination, but reality can inspire it.
• Writing style is how a writer uses words in a narrative.
• Styles reveal a writer's identity and information about characters, setting, and plot.
• Literary techniques used in style include:
  • Diction: word choice.
  • Figurative language including imagery, similes, and symbolism.
  • Imagery: descriptive language appealing to senses.
  • Similes: comparisons using "like" or "as."
  • Symbolism: using concrete objects to represent abstract ideas.

Modern Fiction's Sources

• Modern fiction often draws from myths, traditional stories, and religious works (especially the Bible).

Myths

• Myths are ancient stories about gods and heroes, which provide insights into the world, human nature, and relationships.
• Examples include: Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, and J.R.R. Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

Traditional Stories

• Traditional stories include fairy tales and fables.
• Fairy tales involve kings, princesses, tricksters, and magical creatures.
• Fables use animals to teach lessons about right and wrong.
• Examples include Harry Potter series, Disney tales, and Twilight series.

The Bible

• The Bible is a major religious text that records God's interactions with people.
• Biblical figures and themes appear in modern works like Harry Potter, Narnia, and Lord of the Rings.

Explore the pivotal role of setting in stories, including time, place, and duration. This quiz covers types of settings, techniques for establishing them, and their connection to other story elements. Test your knowledge of how authors use setting to enhance their narratives.