Importance of Setting in a work of fiction.

1. Purakala
(UGC Care Journal)
ISSN:0971-2143
Vol-31-Issue NO.-37-May-2020
P a g e | 146 Copyright ⓒ 2020Authors
Setting the Settling Side of Fiction
Dr. Harmik Vaishnav
Associate Professor
School of Liberal Studies-PDPU
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The novel has five pillars: Plot, Characters, Setting, Themes or Ideas and Diction or
language. Normally, plot, characters and ideas have got importance believing that any one or
two of them lead the novel i.e. a novel is character centric like „The Godfather‟ or plot centric
like „Jurassic Park‟ or ideas dominate the novel like „The Alchemist‟,character and plot as in
„The Godfather‟ or „Adventures of Sherlock Holmes‟ and theme and character as in „Emma‟.
These are the three main aspects that make a novel successful.
The writers, critics and the readers may not give much importance to the other two aspects of
novel: Setting and Diction. They are considered just the support or mandatory ingredients like
the layout of a room or an office. Here there is an endeavour to bring into light some aspects
of setting and its overall role and influence on fiction. Is setting important or a decorative
piece? Does it influence the fiction? What is the relationship of setting with other pillars or
aspects of fiction?
“Setting in a novel or short story has two main components: as place and as time. Places
where the action unfolds: home/house, cities, planets, nations, etc. Setting could also be
social spaces: families, ethnic group, diaspora and immigrant communities. Time is the time
within which the action unfolds: historical periods, seasons, time of the day, etc. In the above
description, we can see all of these coming out together.” [1] The broad definition of setting
encompasses everything at macro level and for more we will dive into micro level or various
aspects of setting as well. The writer needs to decide the setting: time and place for characters
to develop, plot to progress and themes and ideas to crop out. However, setting is not just a
ground on which a game is played but it is omnipresent element in a state of flux influencing
the plot and characters in various ways.
1.1 ADVANCEMENT OF PLOT
Setting involves time and place, broadly. Time means space, duration and speed. Place means
various regions with its varied aspects, culture, climate affecting the mentality and moods of
the characters. “The events might be narrated at varied speeds. For example, in Victorian

2. Purakala
(UGC Care Journal)
ISSN:0971-2143
Vol-31-Issue NO.-37-May-2020
P a g e | 147 Copyright ⓒ 2020Authors
fiction, one frequently sees the narration of events slowing down because there are large
passages of descriptions, atmosphere or even commentary.” [2]. The time or age depicted in
the novel, the duration and frequency of the actions, etc. are important for the progression of
a plot.
“What is at work here?
 landscape as nature.
 landscape as setting for human action,
 landscape as portent [or symbol] of the things to come, or symbolic of things past,
 landscape as reflecting and influencing human attitudes, behaviour and moods” [3]
When time and place merge setting is wholesome,creating an atmosphere which influences
the characters, plots, alluding ideas and themes. The readers, with the influence of
atmosphere, can „feel‟ the movement of the plot and share the experience of characters with
atmosphere dexterously created by the writer. “Atmosphere is the mode of using physical
setting to convey a sense of doom, joy, anxiety or threat. Atmosphere indicates the mood of
the story and the actions unfolding or about to unfold. Atmosphere is, very often, independent
of the action performed by characters and is used to
 Anticipate the actions
 Enhance the effect/quality of the actions.” [4]
A good writer aims to transfer the experiences of the characters to the readers and his ideas
and vision through words. Atmosphere serves this purpose which also helps in unravelling
the plot and gives reference to the thematic concepts. Atmosphere can give clarity to the
reader or awaken a sense of mystery depending on the way the writer uses it. “Observed that
there was sense of fear in the air, even though no one said anything. Once again he was
experiencing the language without words....the universal language.” [5] Setting or the
atmosphere facilitates plot progression soaking the readers into the art and vision of the
writer.A plot is an abstract thing developing around characters or developed by characters.
The plot progresses as the characters wish with their conflicts, actions, doings and un-doings.
1.2 CHARACTER
“Characterisation is not innocent, it is not neutral and it is not simply an exercise in language.
Characterisation of other people, races and cultures draws upon the biases, prejudices and
opinions of the culture that is doing the representation.”[6]If the setting is of medieval time

3. Purakala
(UGC Care Journal)
ISSN:0971-2143
Vol-31-Issue NO.-37-May-2020
P a g e | 148 Copyright ⓒ 2020Authors
and the castles of Ireland what type of characters would the novel have? If there is a novel
with the setting of current time in Manhattan, what type of characters would be there? This
also decides the plot and ideas moving around the characters. There is also the effect and
impact of the setting on the characters and their personality. A character from India of 20th
Century, a character from 21st
Century New York, a character from Medieval Europe would
have different mind-set, personalities, beliefs, cultural outlook etc. All these will be reflected
in the manner they act, interact, behave and think and the plot of the novel develops owing to
their thoughts and actions. Even a character brought up in an affluent neighbourhood and
society would act and think differently than a character brought up in a poor and socially
backward neighbourhood in the vicinity. The setting brings out temporary feelings and
situational conditions of these characters and the traits and their development. “Holden
notices that the environment in general is disgusting and nauseating, and he finds it difficult
to put up with it.” [7] We learn about characters from the way they respond to their
immediate setting.
The business novels focus on the setting of a professional zones like corporate towers and
offices, factories, project places, obviously the characters are depicted with the same
professional relationship and bent among themselves. They justdon‟t use the professional
setting and characters, but have to weave the plot with business conflicts, self and others
conflicts, business games, strategies, professional side of life influencing personal life and
vice-a-versa. They also useroutine jargons, technical terms, slangs, various business
processes, and reflecting management and leadership theories in the characters.
When the novels use social settings like the homes, social gatherings, etc. and the conflicts
related to society, societal norms, contemporary social life, reflect social interaction and
psychology of people. The plot and ideas mainly move around family relationships, love,
marriage, children, and difference of culture or social hierarchies.
A major change seen in characterization is the women characters across the centuries. The
personalities, beliefs, actions and sub-conscious recesses of mind in women characters
evolved and changed as time changed.As womeneducation and empowerment progressed,
women characters got more importance and the centre role in fiction. The women characters
have moved from kitchens to cabins, from farms to flights and evolved from being a defender
to aggressor, from being just emotional to intellectual, from follower to leader. Many women
play the role of the protagonists, the machismo, and the dynamic influencer in professional
and social arenas. The change of setting influenced the change in characterization. The

4. Purakala
(UGC Care Journal)
ISSN:0971-2143
Vol-31-Issue NO.-37-May-2020
P a g e | 149 Copyright ⓒ 2020Authors
moment a woman is transferred from a societal setting to a professional setting there is
difference in every walk of her life, thought process, behaviour and responses. Is there no
difference between the characterization of Emma by Jane Austen and Lisbeth Salander by
Steig Larsson? The settings are different, evolved as per time hence the difference in the
women characters.
As the action of characters enables plot progression, theirdialogues churning out ideas and
themes.As there are different minds there are different ideas and perspectives. “Major
characters often embody the themes of novel or story being told. This means that we can
understand theme when we observe how a character behaves. Characters also serve to give
voice to an idea, a belief or a way of thinking. Authors frequently use certain characters to
convey their own political beliefs, criticism of society or views of the world.” [8]
1.3 THEME AND IDEAS
The Setting also influences the thought process, the language, the behaviour of the
characters-fictitious or real characters. The more time we put with people of a particular
setting, the more influenced we are with the ideologies, characteristics and custom. Someone
working for long hours in a court would imbibe ideologies pertaining to law machinery,
characteristics and communication of people around, if a person moves from one country to
another with different culture and language gradually he/she would imbibe characteristics of
the people of that country or culture. “The author „situates‟ the lives of his character in a
history, a community, a particular group of people, all of which are located and connected
within a physical and social space.” [9]Even in routine setting, a person‟s communication,
SETTING
CHARACTERS PLOT

5. Purakala
(UGC Care Journal)
ISSN:0971-2143
Vol-31-Issue NO.-37-May-2020
P a g e | 150 Copyright ⓒ 2020Authors
thinking and behaviour changes in a professional setting in morning and social or family
setting in evening. The influence of setting is all pervasive.
Thematic and contemporary
concepts
Conduct of characters
Plot progression Reader response
2.0 CONCLUSION
A fiction is considered successful or popular depending on acceptance and popularity of plot
or characters or themes and settings and diction are considered as peripheral, not core. On the
contrary, it is the setting that decides the characterization and diction. The theme too is
influenced by setting as ideas and concepts are time bound. The theme of national spirit and
independence in the Indiawas a thematic aspect with a setting of a century ago butirrelevant
with a setting of 21st
Century.
“Authors give stories a specific setting so that the action unfolding is connected to the
 history of the place
 common cultures of that place
 people, individuals and groups, in that place
 climate, weather, topography, plant and animal life of that place.” [10]
The atmosphere created in the setting of a scene by using symbolism etc. affects the readers.
A reader cannot „feel‟ without proper atmosphere depicted in a work of fiction. “At all costs
he wanted to hide the delicious icy chilliness that controlled his brain, the surge of the wintry
cold hatred that pervaded his body.‟ [11], a reader experiences that feeling if the creation of
Setting of the
story

6. Purakala
(UGC Care Journal)
ISSN:0971-2143
Vol-31-Issue NO.-37-May-2020
P a g e | 151 Copyright ⓒ 2020Authors
atmosphere is also instrumental in bringing out the traits of a character. The way a person
responds to the immediate setting tells about the person‟s traits. Setting is important in
developing a character like developing plot and theme.“But when we think of the radically
different effect of a scene reported by Huck Finn and a scene reported by Poe's Montresor,
we see that the quality of being "scenic". [12]
Thus, it is apt to call „setting‟ of a work of fiction as the driving force, the decisive aspect for
otheres like plot, character, diction and theme. It decides and also creates atmosphere giving a
literary ornamentation, facilitating advancement of plot, development of character and theme
and adding „the flavour‟ and „effect‟ to fiction which the readers relish and cherish.
2.1 REFERENCES
1. Nayar, Pramod, “Studying Literature”, Orient Black Swan, Hyderabad. 2013 Pg. 90
2. Nayar, Pramod, “Studying Literature”, Orient Black Swan, Hyderabad. 2013 Pg. 110
3. Nayar, Pramod, “Studying Literature”, Orient Black Swan, Hyderabad. 2013 Pg. 80
4. Nayar, Pramod, “Studying Literature”, Orient Black Swan, Hyderabad. 2013 Pg. 93
5. Coelho Paulo, The Alchemist, Harper Collins India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi, 1998 p. 80
6. Nayar, Pramod, “Studying Literature”, Orient Black Swan, Hyderabad. 2013 Pg. 59
7. French Warren., J.D. Salinger., Twayne Publishers, New York, 1963, p. 113.
8. Nayar, Pramod, “Studying Literature”, Orient Black Swan, Hyderabad. 2013 Pg. 50
9. Nayar, Pramod, “Studying Literature”, Orient Black Swan, Hyderabad. 2013 Pg. 89
10. Nayar, Pramod, “Studying Literature”, Orient Black Swan, Hyderabad. 2013 Pg. 89
11. Puzo Mario, The Godfather Penguin Books Ltd. New York , 1978 p. 127
12. Booth, Wayne “The Rhetoric of Fiction” The University of Chicago Press, Chicago
1983, p. 155