In preparing for the 7th Grade ELA team's first session examining centers and differentiation, we tried to come up with a student-friendly reading aim that would be, at the same time, accessible enough to apply to a middle school classroom and rigorous enough to challenge adults to think critically and hold their engagement. What we settled on was looking at setting and its influence-- "How does a text's environment shape its characters?"
Once I started thinking about the implications of this question, I realized that there was probably no more important element of a story than the setting. All of the ways that the setting-- either the time, the place, or context of a story-- impacts the actual story are countless. (This also happens to be a GREAT way for readers to connect to what they're reading; by thinking about stories as life.
Even watching the news at night, a viewer (who is just a reader without a text!) is hard-pressed to get through one feature or news item without seeing setting's influence at work. When a group of auto workers lose their jobs in Michigan, it foreshadows the end of an era for American automakers. When terrorists attack a large Indian city, the world blames the regional religious conflict. The tie that binds these examples together? They would not make sense in other parts of the world, during other eras, or under different circumstances. It is their SETTING that not only allows them to happend, but almost makes them inevitable. Even our largest news story of the past couple of months, if not the past couple of years, the election of our nation's first African-American president, happens at a time when economic, societal, and political issues are all in perfect alignment for change.
So it is setting, then, and not plot, theme, character, mood, or any other element that really drives a story. The action, characters, message, and feeling a story engenders in a reader are all secondary to the overwhelming importance of where a story takes place, when it transpires, and the social elements that pave the way for it to be reality.
That is, at least, my opinion. What do you think?
4 comments:
I agree with the notion that 'setting' is the paramount element to most stories. Without the location, time, or social climate explained, a story can not have relevance or meaning. As I said, this notion holds true in most cases; in character studies or works centered on action, these elements rise in their importance. For these types of writing, the focus may need to shift...
I often think of setting as being its own character, in that it influences the story the way the actions of a character might. Characters are contained within the setting, they can only do as much as the setting allows them to.
The setting can also set the mood or tone of the story. For example, if the story is taking place on a farm, it might have a laid back and relaxed feel to it. However, the same character and situation in a bustling city might create a completely different mood that has more tension to it.
I do agree that setting often comes first in terms of understanding the other story elements and the characters' reactions/actions within that story or situation.
I read a book on writing movie screenplays once that said that when Hollywood readers open a screenplay, the first thing they want to know is "what world/time is this story told in?" I think that knowing the setting first helps to set the context for the reader.
That was definitely food for thought. Setting is quite important when it comes to setting a tone for the readers. Most often, authors spend a considerable amount of time creating a setting. However, to say it is primary and everything else secondary is a bit off. I feel that characters, plots, etc all play an important part.
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