Setting

The setting of a story is where all the action happens. It is the specific place, timeframe and world where the story happens. The setting of a text tells the reader a lot about who holds the power in a story and who will have none. It can give an insight into the relationships between characters and influence how a character thinks and feels. It can tell us about the environment of the world and the impact this might have on the characters. Settings can be like our normal everyday world or can be completely fictional depending on the story. Extract A: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens The public-houses, with gas-lights burning inside, were already open. By degrees, other shops began to be unclosed, and a few scattered people were met with. Then, came straggling groups of labourers going to their work; then, men and women with fish-baskets on their heads; donkey-carts laden with vegetables; chaise-carts filled with livestock or whole carcasses of meat; milkwomen with pails; an unbroken concourse of people trudging out with various supplies to the eastern suburbs of the town. As they approached the City, the noise and traffic gradually increased; when they threaded the streets between Shoreditch and Smithfield, it had swelled into a roar of sound and bustle. Extract B: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis Next moment she found that what was rubbing against her face and hands was no longer soft fur but something hard and rough and even prickly. ‘Why, it is just like branches of trees!’ exclaimed Lucy. And then she saw that there was a light ahead of her; not a few inches away where the back of the wardrobe ought to have been, but a long way off. Something cold and soft was falling on her. A moment later she found that she was standing in the middle of a wood at night-time with snow under her feet and snowflakes falling through the air. READING Read the three extracts below, which are taken from well-known novels that use the five senses to craft engaging settings. ©The Educational Company of Ireland

Extract C: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

A reef of clouds and lightning raced across the skies from the sea … My hands were shaking, and my mind wasn’t far behind. I looked up and saw the storm spilling like rivers of blackened blood from the clouds, blotting out the moon and covering the roofs of the city in darkness. I tried to speed up, but I was consumed with fear and walked with leaden feet, chased by the rain. I took refuge under the canopy of a newspaper kiosk, trying to collect my thoughts and decide what to do next. A clap of thunder roared close by, and I felt the ground shake under my feet … On the flooding pavements the streetlamps blinked, then went out like candles snuffed by the wind. There wasn’t a soul to be seen in the streets, and the darkness of the blackout spread with a fetid smell that rose from the sewers. READING 1 Complete the five senses task in your activity book (see page 9). 2 Choose one of the extracts above and say what you think the author’s purpose was in creating that setting. What were they trying to tell the reader? 3 Rewrite your chosen extract with a different purpose in mind. For example, you could rewrite the extract from The Shadow of the Wind and attempt to create a peaceful setting instead of a terrifying one. ACT IVITY COMMUNICATING Describe a place you have been to the person next to you. It could be from a local area or your favourite place, or maybe somewhere you’ve been on holiday. Your aim should be to use the five senses to make the person feel like they have actually been to this place. ©The Educational Company of Ireland

WRITING SKILLS: CRAFTING A SETTING

Read through the two settings created below. The purpose of both pieces of writing is to describe a war-torn city. Identify which is a better piece of writing and discuss the reasons why.

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SETTING A There were guns firing everywhere. The sky was black with smoke from the fires in the buildings. The footpath was piled with rubble and debris from all the bombs. There were dead bodies everywhere. SETTING A tells the reader everything about the scene all at once, so they are not left wondering anything. It reads like a factual account, so the reader doesn’t have to do any work imagining the scene and doesn’t have to try connecting the dots through the hints the writer has suggested. As a result there is no atmosphere created and the reader may lose interest and concentration. SETTING B is a much better piece of writing because it creates an atmosphere that invites the reader into the world the writer has created. The reader is dropped subtle hints about the world of the text and must connect the dots and imagine the scene for themselves.

Setting B Suggests to the reader

Eerie silence The silence is unusual and is only temporary.

Time to catch its breath The city is a living thing.

Once majestic buildings The city was once amazing.

Bloody footpaths People have died here. Good writers create settings by keeping in mind two things: purpose and crafting. Purpose: What atmosphere and mood does the writer want to convey? Peaceful? Sinister? Terrifying? Homely? Crafting: How will I craft this piece of writing by giving subtle clues and not telling the reader everything at once about the world of the text?

SETTING B An eerie silence descended on the city. Time to catch its breath before the volley of gunfire drowns it once again. The remains of once majestic buildings are discarded on the bloody footpaths. ©The Educational Company of Ireland

CRAFTING A SETTING TOOLKIT

One of the ways a writer can craft an engaging setting is through using the five senses to make a reader feel like they are transported to the world of the story. Below are some interesting ways a writer could use the senses to engage the reader in the world of the text.

Smell See Hear Touch Taste

What does it not smell like? Strangely, the stable did not smell like horses. It did not smell like hay or manure or hard work. Describe specific colours or use colour as a symbol The woman’s ashen grey face told them all they needed to know. Describe the sound first, then reveal its source A loud banging echoed around the dungeon; the prisoner was awake again. Describe specific textures in detail The chair was decorated in a circus of stains, each with their own distinctive texture. Taste something that is a smell Gasping for air, she swallowed the filthy smog and ashes. Link the smell to a memory The salty sea air wafted through the window and Sarah remembered summer at her grandmother’s. Describe how the light affects things in the setting The rickety table was illuminated by a stream of light sneaking in through a tear in the blind. A sound that is unexpected or surprising for the setting A gunshot cut through the birdsong and trees. Describe the temperature of people or things The floor was ice cold like a frozen lake. Taste is subjective. Use taste to reveal something about a character. The steak was barely cooked, but she ate it without flinching. Link the smell to an emotion She walked into the kitchen to the smell of fresh bread baking; she had to swallow her grief quickly. Zoom in and describe specific details of objects within the scene The necklace on the dresser was broken and rusting. Describe a sound but do not reveal exactly what it is Something rumbled in the distance; it sounded hungry, angry and louder with every second. Describe the vibrations of something The room was buzzing; it seemed alive. Reveal something about a character by revealing a taste craving He needed to feed. Something big and juicy. Use nouns or verbs to describe a smell She smelled like home. Link what you see to emotions The doll’s house was arranged meticulously. Her heart broke in two at the sight of it. Describe a sound that a character has imagined Someone was calling her, softly and gently. She would go into the night and find it. Link touch to a memory or emotion He touched the soft velvet curtain and was immediately transported back to his childhood.

Link the taste to a memory or emotion The melting mashed potato reminded her of Granny.©The Educational Company of Ireland

COMMUNICATING: GROUP DISCUSSION

In small groups, look at the three settings pictured below. Choose the one that most appeals to you. Describe the setting in the picture by using the toolkit on page 12. First choose a sense to engage, then choose a way to engage it. Finally, apply it to the picture you have chosen. Each member of the group should take a turn adding to the oral picture description.

WRITING First choose three tools from the toolkit opposite to help you craft a setting. Now select one of the purposes from the list below. Write a short paragraph to describe your setting. An example has been completed for you. Craft a setting that is… peaceful and relaxing sinister and unsettling amusing romantic unusual and different joyful and uplifting Example Purpose: Craft a setting that is sinister and unsettling. Toolkit choices: Describe a sound but do not reveal exactly what it is. What does it not smell like? Describe specific colours or use colour as a symbol. Slowly, Sarah opened the door to the enclosed garden. She was not met with the smell of flowers, grass or earth. This was a different kind of smell; one she was familiar with but could not, or would not, name. The trees hung limp, their leaves a pale grey. There was not a flower nor an insect to be seen. Then it started again. She followed the low humming, determined, no matter what the consequences, to find its source. Edit your paragraph Skim and scan your setting paragraph and ensure you have used capital letters and end punctuation correctly. Turn to page 272 to check the rules.©The Educational Company of Ireland