Recap
Setting in a longer work includes the time and place and the social, cultural and historical situation. Details of setting depict a world and convey the values associated with it. Setting shapes what characters can do and where conflict arises. In drama, setting comes from stage directions, props, space and what characters say.
Key relationships
| Idea | What to look for | Example of a claim |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Period, season, how time is organised | “A whistle sets the day.” |
| Place | Larger and smaller spaces | “The drawing-room and window-seat divide included and excluded.” |
| Social situation | Rank, favour, rules | “Favoured children sit by the fire.” |
| Cultural/historical situation | Customs, feuds, institutions | “An ancient grudge governs the city.” |
| Contrast | Warm and cold, public and private | “The window-seat is a place of retreat.” |
| Effect | What setting makes possible or impossible | “It limits what the lovers can do.” |
What you may assume
- You do not need outside history; the text’s details are your evidence.
- Setting can change across a work, and the change can mark a development in a character’s situation.
- Stage directions are part of the text of a play.
Mistakes to avoid
- Naming the place and stopping.
- Importing facts about a period that the passage does not support.
- Treating weather as decoration.
- Forgetting to say what the setting does to character or conflict.
- Ignoring stage directions or props.
Key terms
- Social setting: the rules, ranks and customs of the world of the text.
- Historical situation: the conditions of the age as the text shows them.
- Arrangement: who sits, stands or lives where, often a sign of rank.
- Stage directions: the playwright’s description of setting, action and props.
Sentence frames
- “The arrangement of … conveys a community that values ….”
- “The setting limits [character] by ….”
- “The stage direction ‘…’ establishes …, which suggests ….”
Mini-example
Detail: the overseers “came down [the hill] slowly, with their gloves on”. Conveys: social distance. Effect: the setting makes a conflict between groups likely.
How questions ask about this
- “The details of the setting convey …”: choose the value or social situation the details show.
- “The arrangement of … most directly suggests that …”: read position as rank or favour.
- “The stage directions most directly establish …”: use the props and space as evidence.
- Constructed response: use two details, name the social or historical situation and say what it does to a character or conflict.
Quick self-check
- What two things does a setting detail do?
- In the Prologue, what does “both alike in dignity” suggest about the social situation?
- Why does Jane’s retreat to the window-seat matter?
Answers.
- It depicts a time and place and conveys the values associated with it.
- Two families of equal rank and honour, which prepares the reader for rivalry between equals.
- It shows her position outside the family circle and gives her a place of retreat from those who exclude her.
Full explanations are in the study guide. Try the practice questions next.