Elements of Fiction

1
Elements of Fiction

• Setting

2
Definition

• The location of a story in place and time
• What country, city, neighborhood, house, room,
  etc does the story take place in?
• Is it urban, suburban, rural, wild, etc?
• What century, decade, year, season, month, day,
  time of day, hour is the story taking place in?
• What is the moment in history what is the social
  context?

3
Two Types of Setting

• The overall setting
• This is the setting in which the whole story
  takes place
• A story has only one overall setting
• The particular setting
• This is the setting in which an individual scene
  takes place
• A story usually has several particular settings

4
Mood and Setting

• Mood is the underlying feeling or atmosphere that
  a story generates
• Setting plays a large role in creating mood
• Moods can be described as
• Grim or festive
• Oppressive or merry
• Eerie or familiar
• And many other ways