Lesson 9 — Activity 3: Setting and Theme of the Story

Image Source: Pixabay

“Tunsian postcards”, by Emna Mizouni, is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Setting:

• is the time and place of the story

• often connects the character to the mood and atmosphere of the story

Sometimes setting is important in that the story could not occur anywhere else. A story about survival in the Arctic has to be set in the Arctic.
A story that could occur anywhere in the world is said to be universal.

The details of the setting help the reader see what kind of a story it may be; perhaps a mystery, a humorous story, or a science fiction tale.

Sensory details are used to describe a setting. These are the details that appeal to our senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste). An effective setting description will use many sensory details.

When we read fictional stories, we usually read for enjoyment. That does not mean, however, that we will not learn anything from reading fiction!

Many stories and books have themes:

• the underlying principle or statement about life that an author wishes to make

While a writer may not necessarily want us to learn a lesson or moral from a story, often the main character faces conflicts that require him or her to think about some of the following things:

• how to make difficult decisions

• how to choose between right and wrong

• how people treat each other

• how people treat the environment

• how to act in different circumstances

• how to feel about himself or herself

The character's experiences in the story and reactions to the conflicts or problems he or she faces help us to learn about different ways to deal with or think about similar experiences in our own lives.

Click here to try a crossword puzzle on story elements. (Print this out to complete. Your teacher will have the solution for the puzzle.)