Setting is Very Important in Opening of a Novel

[riddler]

Please can anyone help me, If I was given a topic like the above how would I approach it? what points would I write about.



I tried to think for myself
I Wrote about,
Capturing reader's interests
Description,Mood,Language
Recognising Plots and Themes


But still I fall 500 words short of the given target please help.

[Tdol]

Firstly, decide how far you agree with the statement- is it that important? Having established what you actually think about it, why not look at some examples of how the setting works, or not, in the opening. Which examples did you choose?

[riddler]

I think it is very important. what do you mean by examples?

[Tdol]

If you're going to try to show how important setting is, then take a couple of examples of novels where the setting is important, and look in detail at how the setting functions. Whether it's 'Wuthering Heights' or Animal Farm', the different settings have an impact on the novel and help shape it. By looking at examples, you can show how this happens.

[riddler]

I understand what you mean but I know that, I want to know If I was given this question what points that make up the setting would I focus upon?

[Tdol]

Locality, time, society and its values, how they affect the characters. Is the setting being used in a metaphorical or symbolic way? For instance, in 'Heart of Darkness', Conrad uses the snake-like shape of the river to symbolise a journey into evil through the association with the biblical serpent and the further up the river, the more the veneer of civilisation is stripped away.

[riddler]

when you say locality etc. you mean in the story or when the story was written? and how do they relate to my question?PLease help me, I have a deadline next week.

[Tdol]

Both- take the novels of Thomas Hardy- they're set in the south-west of England in the nineteenth century. In 'Tess', the standards and mores of the time have a great impact on her, through the loss of her virginity. This had a wider impact as Hardy was criticised for maitaing that she was pure despite losing her virginity. However, the wider context seems less important to the question than the context of the work itself. I think you should choose the examples of novels whose settings you wish to discuss and look in detail at how this affects the opening. Which novels do you want to look at? It's hard to look at the question in vague terms. Name a couple of novels and we can start talking concretely, as long as I have read them.

[riddler]

the 2 novels are "Beach of Falesa" and "Robinson Crusoe", now we have to compare them AND answer the question doing that.

[riddler]

See this is how see the question. As the main purpose of the opening is to lure the reader into the book. The setting does this and I have explained how it does this by language use, characters,descripition,mood and surroundings.

But my friend tells me that you have to write about the place where the book is set and religion playing an important part in the novel. But I fail to understand how the major topics like religion relate to this question? how religion fullfills the main purpose of the opening? Please help me, I have a deadline to fullfill on thursday.