【3.1】 SETTING:PLACE AND OBJECTS IN FICTION Fiction can be defined as character in action at a certain time and place.The first two elements of this equation,character and action,have already been discussed.Now we turn our attention to setting. The stage against which the story unfolds we call the setting.In its narrowest sense,setting is the place and time of the narration,but eventually it encompasses the total environment of the work.Setting,therefore,in its broadest sense,encompasses the physical locale that frames the action,the time of day or year,the climatic conditions,and the historical period during which the action takes place. As a basic function,setting helps the reader visualize the action of the work and thus adds credibility and an air of authenticity to the characters.It helps,in other words,to create and sustain the illusion of life,to provide what we call verisimilitude. There are,however,many different kinds of setting in fiction,and they function in a variety of ways. Types of Setting Natural The setting for a great number of stories is,of course,the out-of-doors.Nature herself is seen as a force that shapes action and therefore directs and redirects lives.A deep woods may make walking difficult or dangerous,or may be a place for a sinister meeting of devil worshippers,such as the woods in Nathanial Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown.The open road may be a place when one person seeks flight,others face a showdown,and still others may meet their fate.A lake may be the location where one person literally rescues another and also silently and unconsciously makes a direct commitment to the saved person,as is the case in D.H.Lawrence's The Horse Dealer's Daughter (cf.P.128).Bushes may furnish places of concealment, while a mountain top is a spot protecting occupants from the outside world.The ocean【3.1】 SETTING: PLACE AND OBJECTS IN FICTION Fiction can be defined as character in action at a certain time and place. The first two elements of this equation, character and action, have already been discussed. Now we turn our attention to setting. The stage against which the story unfolds we call the setting. In its narrowest sense, setting is the place and time of the narration, but eventually it encompasses the total environment of the work. Setting, therefore, in its broadest sense, encompasses the physical locale that frames the action, the time of day or year, the climatic conditions, and the historical period during which the action takes place. As a basic function, setting helps the reader visualize the action of the work and thus adds credibility and an air of authenticity to the characters. It helps, in other words, to create and sustain the illusion of life, to provide what we call verisimilitude. There are, however, many different kinds of setting in fiction, and they function in a variety of ways. Types of Setting Natural The setting for a great number of stories is, of course, the out-of-doors. Nature herself is seen as a force that shapes action and therefore directs and redirects lives. A deep woods may make walking difficult or dangerous, or may be a place for a sinister meeting of devil worshippers, such as the woods in Nathanial Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown. The open road may be a place when one person seeks flight, others face a showdown, and still others may meet their fate. A lake may be the location where one person literally rescues another and also silently and unconsciously makes a direct commitment to the saved person, as is the case in D. H. Lawrence’s The Horse Dealer’s Daughter (cf. P.128). Bushes may furnish places of concealment, while a mountain top is a spot protecting occupants from the outside world. The ocean