The SETTING of a piece of literature is the time and place in which the story takes place.
The definition of setting can include:
- immediate physical surroundings (a room, a car, a bridge, a specific color on a wall or object on a table, etc.)
- weather (rain or clouds)
- time of the day (sunset)
- time of the week (Sunday)
- time of the year (spring)
- historical period (Medieval or futuristic times)
- culture (Western, Middle Eastern, capitalist, socialist, etc.)
Settings are often used to indirectly reveal information about a character.
Interestingly, settings can also be used as a material/visible representations of a character's invisible emotional or psychological state. Rain may signify that the protagonist is sad. A dark bedroom may represent his or her depressive state. Crossing a bridge may signify change or a new beginning. A sunset may represent death or the end of a psychological state.
In fairy tales, woods and forests tend to represent the realm of experience, where the protagonist overcomes obstacles and learns and grows.
