The Power of Place!

1. What is setting, beyond just the where and when of a story?

2. How do authors use setting to create an overall mood for the

story?

3. How does the setting have anything to do with the characters in the story?

BASIC Definition: the location/environment and time period

of a story.

ADVANCED VERSION:

The environment in which a story takes place including the following: its historical era,culture, & customs of the people.

SETTING

Effects the Plot (Events)

Effects the

CharactersCreates a Mood

Culture: a people group with its own practices, customs, and traditions

Customs or Traditions: unique, accepted practices within a culture

Mood: often times, setting has the ability to create a feeling or emotion within its characters and readers. We refer to these feelings as the story’s “mood.”

On PLOT: The setting of a story effects what’s happening or how each event will unfold later on. Sometimes, the setting changes the whole course of a story!

This is a scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the movie. Though the setting was a dream world for Agustus Gluf, it caused disaster. His obsession with the chocolate river lead to a series of plot changes…

In Finding Nemo, the setting poses a threat for Nemo and his father after Nemo leaves his safe home. He ventures out alone through the ocean and runs into all kinds of danger. Just like in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the change in setting causes a whole chain reaction to occur. Nemo is in danger for most of the movie because of the setting.

In Madagascar, the animals decide to leave their tranquil zoo in New York City to try a new setting, but end up on the island of Madagascar. There, they discover new animals with a different culture and new set of customs. They must adapt to their new setting or make enemies real fast!

The setting of the story always affects characters in some way. If the characters are surrounded by danger, then the setting acts like an external conflict, MAN VS. NATURE! In a sense, setting can be the main conflict in a story.

Tom Hanks in Castaway

Let’s look at how important a setting really is on its characters. Do you remember the setting of “The Landlady”? The story began on a chilly, gloomy evening in Bath, London, during the 1940’s. Within the bed and breakfast, Billy was lured in by its deceptive warmth and coziness. Little did he know that the landlady used this to her advantage. What if we were to mix up the setting of this tale? How would the story change? How would the conflict be affected?

Characters: Billy Weaver, the Landlady

Setting: 1940’s—Bath, England (small town)

Dark, cold, late evening. Cozy, warm living room once Billy enters the B & B

Conflict: Billy is trapped in a bed & breakfast with a killer and because of his cozy surroundings, the time period, etc, is unaware of the problem.

Mood: As he’s walking through the town at night, the mood is eerie, chilling. As he’s in the b & b, the mood is strangely mysterious.