Setting is where and when a story takes place, as well as the social context of that place

and time, and don’t worry, I’ll explain what social context means in a minute.

A story might be set in California during the Great Depression of the 1930s,

the streets of the South Bronx in current-day New York City, or maybe in a small village

in Korea during the 12th Century. It could take place in a future society --

or in a time and place that exists only in the imagination of the author. Or, of course, it could

take place today.

That's setting. It’s the where and when. Simple enough.

But why does setting matter?

Well, for one thing, In some stories, the physical setting is super important to the

plot. Let's say you're reading a murder mystery and the story depends on your understanding

the physical layout of a particular house. The bedroom, for instance, might be accessible

only by going down a hallway that is monitored by security cameras. So how could the bedroom's

occupant have been murdered when the security cameras saw nothing? Were the cameras tampered

with? Is there another unknown entrance to the bedroom? Was the murderer hiding in the

false ceiling? You can only understand these crucial questions about the plot by understanding

the physical setting. So, that’s one reason why setting can be important.

The physical setting can also be important in terms of symbolism. I have a whole other

video about symbolism if you're interested. Let's say there’s a book that takes place

in a boring, beige colored desert. (Not that deserts are necessarily boring, but this hypothetical

author describes this desert as boring.) All the conflict takes place there. The main character

feels like no one cares about her; no one pushes her to do something with her life;

maybe they even make fun of her dreams. But at the end, the main character moves to a

place that's full of trees! and rainbows! and candy-colored flowers!, at the same moment

that her life is changing for the better. The desert might represent or symbolize the

absence of caring people, the lack of growth and support and stimulation in her life. And

the new place that's full of color and living things might symbolize the improved state

of her life. That's an example of how physical settings can be symbols for important ideas.

The next element of setting is the time in which the story takes place. Number the Stars,

a young adult novel by Lois Lowry, is set in Copenhagen in 1943. You can’t really

get that story unless you know at least a little about the persecution of Jewish people

in Europe during that time period. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t know

what the heck was going on.

Another example is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. There's no way to understand that

story without some knowledge of the racial conflicts of the time. Without that understanding,

the verdict in the Robinson case would not be as meaningful. So, the WHEN can be just

as important as the WHERE when it comes to setting.

The reason we understand all that stuff in To Kill a Mockingbird and Number the Stars

is because we understand what's called the social context of that time period. The social

context just means "whatever's considered normal at that time and in that place." It's

the customs and assumptions that people at that time take for granted. We understand

that, although today it would be no big deal for a white lawyer to vigorously defend a

black defendant, in small-town Alabama in the 1930s, only a very brave and principled

man would do that.

Social context is useful in non-historical fiction too. In the very funny movie, Clueless,

which is set in modern times, we understand that Tai and Travis here belong to two very

different social groups and that they aren't supposed to cross those clear social boundaries.

He's a skateboarding slacker and she's been adopted by the popular girls, who look down

on skaters. If you didn't understand that social context, you wouldn't get this story.

You'd think, what's the big deal about Tai liking Travis? And you wouldn't understand

that Tai had stood up for herself as an individual with her own identity, and that her friend

Cher here had become more open-minded by accepting Tai's choice. In other words, the story would

seem kind of pointless if you didn’t understand the story’s social context. By the way,

Clueless was based on Emma, an 1815 novel by Jane Austen. The director snuck a little

literature into your escapist entertainment there.

Finally, setting is important in establishing mood. Remember that made-up book I described

about the boring, beige desert? Let's say that there's a scene in it describing the

awful withering heat and the endless rocky expanse of nothingness surrounding our main

character. Let’s say she's looking out at this desert, imagining being stuck in this

desert, lost. Without water. The author is creating a mood. Mood is the emotions the

reader is made to feel when he or she reads a story. In this example, you're made to feel

fear and concern on her behalf, and an anxious desire for her to get her to a happier place.

That’s mood being created by setting.

So, setting has three main elements: the place, the time, and the social context.

The setting can be used to assist the plot, like in the murder mystery I described.

It can be central to the conflict, like in Number the Stars, which in turn has an effect on theme.

It can be a part of the characterization like in Clueless. Furthermore, the POV, who's

telling the story, influences the setting because we're seeing the setting through the

narrator's eyes. And it can be used to create the mood, or the emotions the author wants

you to feel while reading the story. All of the elements of fiction are interconnected.

And setting is an essential thread in this web of storytelling.

And once you understand how setting influences a story, look around you. Is this the setting

you want for the story of your life? If not, what can you do about that? Next, look at

the social context that surrounds you. Why do you believe the things you believe?

How much of it is simply because everyone else around you believes them, so they must be

true? Right? Always question your assumptions. That’s what it means to think.

So, enjoy exploring setting and check out some of my other videos on the 5 basic

elements of fiction. I hope you like them.