Value of Setting

• What does the setting of a text provide to readers?

  The setting grounds readers in a specific time and place, providing historical and social context, as well as insights into characters and events.
• What could happen if a setting is not well-developed in a story?

  If the setting is not well-developed, readers may become bored or confused due to insufficient details or a weak framework.
• How can literary elements enhance the setting in a text?

  Literary elements like diction and imagery can help create a vivid setting, evoking emotions and a clear sense of place for the reader.
• How does Edith Wharton’s passage from Ethan Frome use setting to create mood?

  The imagery and descriptive words like "tattered," "wild," and "gusts" create a chaotic atmosphere, which shifts to a calmer, somber mood as the snow falls steadily.
• In naturalist works, how does the setting affect characters?

  The setting often shapes the characters' destinies, sometimes hindering them or leading them to become victims of their environment.
• What theme does the setting in naturalist literature often illustrate?

  The setting in naturalist literature often illustrates the theme of nature's indifference to man and conveys that humans are insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe.
• What impact does the weather have in the passage from Ethan Frome?

  The persistent snow delays the narrator's journey to Starkfield, symbolizing how the environment hinders progress and shapes the character's fate.