In [[fiction]], '''setting''' includes the [[time]], [[location (geography)|location]], and everything in which a [[storytelling|story]] takes place, and initiates the main [[Theatrical scenery|backdrop]] and [[Mood (psychology)|mood]] for a story. Setting has been referred to as story world <ref>[[#Truby|Truby]], 2007, p. 145</ref> or '''[[Social environment|milieu]]''' to include a [[Context (language use)|context]] (especially [[society]]) beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. Elements of setting may include [[culture]], [[historical period]], [[geography]], and [[hour]]. Along with [[Plot (narrative) | plot]], [[Character (arts) | character]], [[Theme (literature) | theme]], and [[Style (fiction) | style]], setting is considered one of the fundamental components of [[fiction]].<ref>[[#Obstfeld|Obstfeld]], 2002, p. 1, 65, 115, 171.</ref>

==Role of setting==

Setting is a key role in plot, as in man vs. nature or man vs. society stories. In some stories the setting becomes a character itself. <ref>[[#Rozelle|Rozelle]], 2005, p. 2.</ref> In such roles setting may be considered a [[plot device]] or [[literary device]].

The term "setting" is often used to refer to the social milieu in which the events of a novel occur.<ref>[[#Lodge|Lodge]], 1992, pps. 58-60.</ref> Novelist and novel-writing instructor [[Donna Levin]] has described how this social milieu shapes the characters’ values.<ref>[[#Levin|Levin]], 1992, pps.110-112.</ref>

==Types of Settings==

Settings may take various forms:

* [[Alternate history (fiction) | Alternate history]]

* [[Campaign setting]]

* [[Constructed world]]

* [[Dystopia]]

* [[Fantasy world]]

* [[Fictional country]]

* [[Fictional crossover]]

* [[Fictional location]]

* [[Fictional universe]]

* [[Future history]]

* [[Imaginary world]]

* [[Mythical place]]

* [[Other Worlds (Science fiction)]]

* [[Parallel universe (fiction)|Parallel universe]]

* [[Planets in science fiction]]

* [[Simulated reality]]

* [[Virtual reality]]

* [[Utopia]]

==See also==

* [[Index of fictional places]]

* [[List of fictional universes]]

==Footnotes==

{{reflist}}

==References==

*<cite id = Levin>{{cite book

| title = Get That Novel Started

| first = Donna

| last= Levin

| publisher = Writer's Digest Books

| location = Cincinnati, OH

| year = 1992

| isbn = 0898795176

}}

*<cite id = Lodge>{{cite book

| title = The Art of Fiction

| first = David

| last= Lodge

| publisher = Martin, Secker & Warburg Ltd

| location = London

| year = 1992

| isbn = 0140174923

}}

*<cite id = Obstfeld>{{cite book

| title = Fiction First Aid: Instant Remedies for Novels, Stories and Scripts

| first = Raymond

| last= Obstfeld

| publisher = Writer's Digest Books

| location = Cincinnati, OH

| year = 2002

| isbn = 158297117x

}}

* <cite id = Rozelle>{{cite book

|title = Write Great Fiction: Description & Setting

|first = Ron

|last = Rozelle

|publisher = Writer's Digest Books

|location = Cincinnati, OH

|year = 2005

|isbn = 158297327x

}}

* <cite id = Truby>{{cite book

|last = Truby

|first = John

|title = Anatomy of a Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

|publisher = Faber and Faber, Inc

|location = New York, NY

|year = 2007

|isbn = 9780865479517

}}

{{Fiction writing}}

[[Category:Fiction]]

[[Category:Setting]]

[[Category:Narratology]]

[[Category:Writing]]

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