上海交通大学：《20世纪英美短篇小说选读》教学资源_setting（1）

【3.1】 SETTING:PLACE AND OBJECTS IN FICTION Fiction can be defined as character in action at a certain time and place.The first two elements of this equation,character and action,have already been discussed.Now we turn our attention to setting. The stage against which the story unfolds we call the setting.In its narrowest sense,setting is the place and time of the narration,but eventually it encompasses the total environment of the work.Setting,therefore,in its broadest sense,encompasses the physical locale that frames the action,the time of day or year,the climatic conditions,and the historical period during which the action takes place. As a basic function,setting helps the reader visualize the action of the work and thus adds credibility and an air of authenticity to the characters.It helps,in other words,to create and sustain the illusion of life,to provide what we call verisimilitude. There are,however,many different kinds of setting in fiction,and they function in a variety of ways. Types of Setting Natural The setting for a great number of stories is,of course,the out-of-doors.Nature herself is seen as a force that shapes action and therefore directs and redirects lives.A deep woods may make walking difficult or dangerous,or may be a place for a sinister meeting of devil worshippers,such as the woods in Nathanial Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown.The open road may be a place when one person seeks flight,others face a showdown,and still others may meet their fate.A lake may be the location where one person literally rescues another and also silently and unconsciously makes a direct commitment to the saved person,as is the case in D.H.Lawrence's The Horse Dealer's Daughter (cf.P.128).Bushes may furnish places of concealment, while a mountain top is a spot protecting occupants from the outside world.The ocean

【3.1】 SETTING: PLACE AND OBJECTS IN FICTION Fiction can be defined as character in action at a certain time and place. The first two elements of this equation, character and action, have already been discussed. Now we turn our attention to setting. The stage against which the story unfolds we call the setting. In its narrowest sense, setting is the place and time of the narration, but eventually it encompasses the total environment of the work. Setting, therefore, in its broadest sense, encompasses the physical locale that frames the action, the time of day or year, the climatic conditions, and the historical period during which the action takes place. As a basic function, setting helps the reader visualize the action of the work and thus adds credibility and an air of authenticity to the characters. It helps, in other words, to create and sustain the illusion of life, to provide what we call verisimilitude. There are, however, many different kinds of setting in fiction, and they function in a variety of ways. Types of Setting Natural The setting for a great number of stories is, of course, the out-of-doors. Nature herself is seen as a force that shapes action and therefore directs and redirects lives. A deep woods may make walking difficult or dangerous, or may be a place for a sinister meeting of devil worshippers, such as the woods in Nathanial Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown. The open road may be a place when one person seeks flight, others face a showdown, and still others may meet their fate. A lake may be the location where one person literally rescues another and also silently and unconsciously makes a direct commitment to the saved person, as is the case in D. H. Lawrence’s The Horse Dealer’s Daughter (cf. P.128). Bushes may furnish places of concealment, while a mountain top is a spot protecting occupants from the outside world. The ocean

may be the location of a test of youth but also may provide the environment for the memory of vanished dreams,like what is portrayed in Joseph Conrad's Youth.Nature, in short,is one of the major forces governing the circumstances of characters who go about facing the conflicts on which the plots of the stories depend. Manufactured Manufactures things always reflect the people who made it.A building or a room tells about those who built it and live in it,and ultimately about the social and political orders that maintain the conditions.A richly decorated house shows the expensive tastes and resources of the characters owning it.A few cracks in plaster and some chips in the paint may show the same persons declining in fortune and power.Ugly and impoverished surroundings may contribute to the weariness,insensitivity, negligence,or even hostility of the characters living in them. The Language Used in Description of Setting The quality of the language by which the author projects the setting provides a clue to his or her intention.When that intention is to invest the setting with a photographic vividness that appeals essentially to the readers eye,the details of the setting will be rendered through language that is concrete an denotative.The author will pile specific detail on top of specific detail in an attempt to provide the illusion of a stable external reality.On the other hand,the author may want us to "feel"rather than simply "see"the setting,as is the case when setting is to be used as a means of creating atmosphere.In that case the appeal will be to the reader's imagination and emotions through language that is connotative,emotionally heightened,and suggestive.The author will,that is,manipulate the poetic qualities of language to elicit from the reader the desired and appropriate response.Often the author will want the reader to both see and feel the setting and will use the resources of language to bring about both effects simultaneously

may be the location of a test of youth but also may provide the environment for the memory of vanished dreams, like what is portrayed in Joseph Conrad’s Youth. Nature, in short, is one of the major forces governing the circumstances of characters who go about facing the conflicts on which the plots of the stories depend. Manufactured Manufactures things always reflect the people who made it. A building or a room tells about those who built it and live in it, and ultimately about the social and political orders that maintain the conditions. A richly decorated house shows the expensive tastes and resources of the characters owning it. A few cracks in plaster and some chips in the paint may show the same persons declining in fortune and power. Ugly and impoverished surroundings may contribute to the weariness, insensitivity, negligence, or even hostility of the characters living in them. The Language Used in Description of Setting The quality of the language by which the author projects the setting provides a clue to his or her intention. When that intention is to invest the setting with a photographic vividness that appeals essentially to the readers eye, the details of the setting will be rendered through language that is concrete an denotative. The author will pile specific detail on top of specific detail in an attempt to provide the illusion of a stable external reality. On the other hand, the author may want us to “feel” rather than simply “see” the setting, as is the case when setting is to be used as a means of creating atmosphere. In that case the appeal will be to the reader’s imagination and emotions through language that is connotative, emotionally heightened, and suggestive. The author will, that is, manipulate the poetic qualities of language to elicit from the reader the desired and appropriate response. Often the author will want the reader to both see and feel the setting and will use the resources of language to bring about both effects simultaneously