Setting

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Setting can be used for a number of purposes. It might be used for:

Realism: one of the most convincing ways you can add a touch of authenticity or realism to a story is to name the time and place when it supposedly occurred. Readers often respond strongly to stories set in places they know.

Atmosphere: usually the setting is use to reinforce the desired mood. This is most obvious in conventional thrillers where the most suspenseful segments often take place in old, dark houses with wind and rain tearing at broken shutters. Sometimes it is used to provide a contrast with the events. A violent even can be even more surprising and horrifying when it takes place in a peaceful setting. A romance can be more moving when in occurs in an unromantic setting.

Symbolism: sometimes setting is used to convey certain ideas. Some common settings and their symbolic meanings are listed below.

Setting or setting element –> often used to symbolise

countryside –> freedom

window –> the desire to escape

door –> a barrier or a way to something new

bridge –> an important decision

road, railway line –> a psychological journey

sunlight –> hope

wall or fence –> some kind of barrier

a storm –> internal turmoil

 

 

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