Setting

2.Literature Resource Center. Thomson & Gale. Mesa Community College Library., Mesa, Az 

The term setting is defined as “the location and time frame in which the action of a narrative takes place. The setting in a story is important for the characters because the makeup and behavior “often depends on their environment quite as much as on their personal characteristics.” As a reader, I usually focus on the character and the setting. Both literary terms are a combination to help me understand the purpose of the story. The main purpose of this website is help use to find information on subject matters in question. In this case, the word setting needed to be defined. The websites encyclopedia of literature is the place where words related to literature can be looked up. The criteria this website uses is to relate back to the encyclopedia. I check to see if the literature resource center is relating the information to literature. The short summary of the word associates the words to writers and novels. This resource is helpful to me because it give me new ideas as I learn the words. I believe the website is credible, because they use the Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature as their source database.

What learner.org has to say about setting is to the point. It says that would the story still be the same had it been set some place else? Fiction depends solely on the place / setting for it's life. Writers and Authors write about the world that they know. In their writing they are responsible for helping the reader imagine the place by being very descriptive. Many authors may choose to leave quite a few details for the reader to imagine. They paint the picture and leave the little stuff to the reader.

The purpose of this website is to introduce the elements of literature. Setting is defined as “the whole environment in which the character lives.” Setting includes the time, location, weather, and atmosphere of the text. In developing setting, authors consider the five senses and what the character sees, hears, tastes, smells, and touches. Setting can be critical to the plot, the understanding of the characters, and establishing mood. Setting was definitely a critical aspect of Transcendentalist writing. Nature was a major focus during the period and authors explored setting and expressed their observations through writing. This website was created by an English teacher with numerous certifications and publications. She has dedicated the website to providing technology instruction to other English teachers.

5. Harris, Robert. "A Glossary of Literary Terms." Virtual Salt. 4 Jan. 2002. Vanguard University. 9 June 2007 <http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm>.

The main purpose of the website is provide readers with literary definitions. The website defines setting as, the total environment for the action of a fictional work. The website describes analyzing texts using the literary term of setting by the when and where things are taking place. An understanding of this literary term helps me better understand Winthrop’s texts because it reminds me of where it is taking place. The website is credible because the author is associated with a reputable site, Vanguard University.

6. “Setting.”  12 June 2007.  < http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=setting >. 

Setting definition: (n) setting, scene (the context and environment in which something is set) "the perfect setting for a ghost story.”  Although other definitions of setting were available, this one seemed to be the most applicable.  This definition was provided by a google wordsearch, but it linked to Princeton University's main webpage, giving it a certain credibility.  It offers definitions on all literary terms and themes.