Setting ( narrative ) - wikipedia Setting ( narrative ) The setting is both the time and geographic location within a narrative or within a work of fiction. A literary element, the setting helps initiate the main backdrop and mood for a story. Setting has been referred to as story world or milieu to include a context ( especially society ) beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. Elements of setting may include culture, historical period, geography, and hour. Along with the plot, character, theme, and style, setting is considered one of the fundamental components of fiction. Contents 1 Role 2 Types 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References Role Setting is an important element in a narrative and in some works the setting becomes a character itself. The term setting is often used to refer to the social milieu in which the events of a novel occur and novelist Donna Levin has described how this social milieu shapes the characters ' values. The elements of the story setting include the passage of time, which may be static in some stories or dynamic in others with, for example, changing seasons. Types Setting may take various forms : Alternate history Campaign setting Constructed world Dystopia Fantasy world Fictional city Fictional country Fictional crossover Fictional location Fictional universe Future history Imaginary world Mythical place Parallel universe Planets in science fiction Simulated reality Virtual reality Utopia See also British regional literature Index of fictional places Landscape List of fictional universes Setting Notes Jump up ^ Truby, 2007, p. 145 Jump up ^ Obstfeld, 2002, pp. 1, 65,115,171. Jump up ^ Lodge, 1992, pp. 58 - 60. Jump up ^ Levin, 1992, pp. 110 - 112. References Levin, Donna ( 1992 ). Get That Novel Started. Cincinnati, OH : Writer 's Digest Books. ISBN 0 - 89879 - 517 - 6. Lodge, David ( 1992 ). The Art of Fiction. London : Martin, Secker & Warburg Ltd. ISBN 0 - 14 - 017492 - 3. Obstfeld, Raymond ( 2002 ). Fiction First Aid : Instant Remedies for Novels, Stories and Scripts. Cincinnati, OH : Writer 's Digest Books. ISBN 1 - 58297 - 117 - X. Rozelle, Ron ( 2005 ). Write Great Fiction : Description & Setting. Cincinnati, OH : Writer 's Digest Books. ISBN 1 - 58297 - 327 - X. Truby, John ( 2007 ). Anatomy of a Story : 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller. New York, NY : Faber and Faber, Inc. ISBN 978 - 0 - 86547 - 951 - 7. Narrative Character Antagonist Antihero Archenemy Character arc Characterization Deuteragonist False protagonist Focal character Foil Protagonist Stock character Supporting character Tritagonist Narrator Tragic hero Plot Action Backstory Cliché Climax Cliffhanger Conflict Deus ex machina Dialogue Dramatic structure Exposition Eucatastrophe Foreshadowing Flashback Flashforward Frame story In medias res Pace Plot device Plot twist Poetic justice Reveal Self - fulfilling prophecy Subplot Trope Kishōtenketsu Setting Backstory Utopia Dystopia Alternate history Fictional location city country universe Theme Leitmotif Metaphor Moral Motif Irony Style Allegory Bathos Diction Figure of speech Imagery Narrative techniques Narration Stylistic device Suspension of disbelief Symbolism Tone Mode Mood Structure Linear narrative Nonlinear narrative films television series Types of fiction with multiple endings Form Epic Fable Fabliau Fairy tale Folktale Flash fiction Legend Novella Novel Parable Play Poem Screenplay Short story Genre Action fiction Adventure Comic Crime Docufiction Epistolary Erotic Fiction Fantasy Gothic Historical Horror Magic realism Mystery Nautical Paranoid Philosophical Picaresque Political Psychological Romance Saga Satire Science Speculative Superhero Thriller Urban Western List of writing genres Narration First - person Multiple narrators Stream of consciousness Stream of unconsciousness Unreliable Tense Past Present Future Related Audience Author Creative nonfiction Fiction writing Literary theory Literary science Narratology Monomyth Rhetoric Screenwriting Storytelling Literature portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Setting_(narrative)&oldid=807225413 '' Categories : Setting Fiction Narratology Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Deutsch Español فارسی 한국어 Italiano עברית Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Русский Simple English Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 26 October 2017, at 18 : 07. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the definition of setting in a short story
Answer: the time and geographic location within a narrative or within a work of fiction