COURSE :Introduction To Literature

DEPARTMENT : ENGLISH

PROFESSOR : OLMSTED

Lecture10 : Setting_Theme

View the Power Point Presentation of the Lecture

Today’s presentation is on setting a theme. First setting Jack Hogens lists seven roles for settings in his book A Passion for Narrative. Each makes more use of setting than the preceding and the final role is the most memorable when it is used by a capable writer. First is generic. The setting without unique features implying that the story could happen anywhere. I’m going to suggest that none of our stories has a generic setting that every setting of every story that we read has deeper meaning. Second is backdrop the setting merely provides us with a way of knowing where we are and though it may have unique characteristics it doesn’t really affect the characters or action and I’m going to suggest that all of our stories do more than that as well. The third one local color is a term used to describe settings that are flavored by attention to the unique details of the setting. The term is often used for New England for example local color novelists who feature New England or sometimes the South. I’m gonna suggest that “Sweat” is an example of a story that uses local color as a function of the setting. The next one atmosphere or mood setting can be used to set the mood or atmosphere for the whole story in addition the settings of individual scenes may reflect state of mind and I’m going to suggest that “Cathedral” is a story where the setting sets an atmosphere or mood. You see what you think when you get there. The setting of that story is pretty much all inside and pretty much mostly in the living room sitting in front of the television. The next one affecting character Hogens suggests is that characters are more real if they have a historical and geographical context a place where a person grew up will affect their attitudes and behavior for their whole lives and I think there are at least three stories that you can put in this category although you could argue any number of these categories for any of our stories. I would put “Everything that Rises Must Converge” here as the setting being very much implicated. Think of the mother in this story and the father and the importance of their Southern heritage. “Greathy Lake” I think might fit here and “Barn Burning” definitely is one that takes place with a setting that affects character. The next category is called place as character so the setting actually becomes a character in the story and this one example of this according to Hogens is the old man vs. nature plot which you’ve probably heard about in high school where the main struggles that the protagonist faces are with the environment. In this situation the setting itself is the antagonist. In stories of this sort changing elements of the setting would change the entire story and I’m going to suggest that “The Things They Carried” which is a Vietnam war story includes a sense of the place as an actual character in the story. Finally metaphor or symbol the setting becomes symbolic of the story. “Chrysanthemums” is a wonderful example I think of how the setting especially the opening paragraph become symbolic to what the story is about “Greathy Lake” you might also argue is symbolic and I think you could also say that “A Clean Well-Lighted Place” the setting is symbolic of the meaning of the story. Alright, that’s it on setting. Secondly, let’s look at theme using let me go said that we’re gonna use Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” as an example. Remember the questions that our text provides to help determine theme and you might want to go to those pages. The title of the story indeed does place an emphasis on things, the things they carried. Things is usually not a very concrete or very interesting word. English teachers are always myself included telling their students don’t use the word things use what you’re thinking of when you say the word things. The second key word in the title is carried suggesting that this will be a story about things carried. It is that of course but it’s much more than the physical things that matter so the story’s title provides a clue to the theme but I think it does it in a slightly ironic way. Second do you think there is one main character in the story? A protagonist or are there several? To answer that you should think about how much space is given over to different characters and whether or not any of them changes probably the most obvious example of a character who changes and maybe the only one is Lt. Cross who spends the bulk of the story thinking about his fantasy love Martha. Look at the way he changes by the end of the story. What has vowed to do differently and that will help provide you with clue to the theme. Third, does the author make any observations about life? Does Tim O’Brien do that do you think? Although the narrator appears to adopt a reporting tone for instance when he says they were called legs or grunts to carry something was to hump it he realized on irony to show that what he’s talking about is anything but distant and the objective reporting is a cover for deep affection and concern for the soldiers. He lists the things they carried simply and without commentary the way you might see in a newspaper article. However, we learn that the narrator is not just reporting that he can see into the minds of his characters and that he has great feeling for them for instance when he says they carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained the instinct to run or freeze or hide and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all for it could never be put down it required perfect balance and perfect posture. I don’t know about you but to me when I read that I see that the narrator has enormous respect and concern for them. Fourth, the curious object does the story have any curious objects and indeed in this story there is one probably the most significant one is the pebble that our main character if you want to call him that Lt. Cross carries in his mouth. How does this small act say a great deal about the needs of the men and Cross in particular? How does it bring us closer? How does it bring him the character closer to us as someone we know and might empathize with? These are all excellent questions to ask about any of these stories, they’ll help you to determine the theme and if you can explain the theme by addressing these aspects of the story point of view, character, symbol you will understand it more fully. That’s it for today. Hope you enjoy the stories.