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Reading Prose Fiction
Quick questions on Setting and atmosphere explained: O-Level Literature in English
6short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is setting is more than scenery?Show answer
Setting is where and when a story happens, but in good fiction it does work. It establishes atmosphere, the emotional feel of a place; it can reflect or shape a character; and it can mean something beyond itself. When you read a description of a place, do not just note what is there; ask what feeling it creates and why the writer might want that feeling here.
What is atmosphere is built from sensory detail?Show answer
Atmosphere (or mood) is the emotional quality of a setting, and it is built from concrete, sensory detail, what we see, hear, smell, even feel. A "creaking gate", "grey dust", "the smell of damp" all add up to an atmosphere of neglect. To analyse atmosphere, name the mood and then quote the precise sensory details that create it. Vague impressions ("it feels spooky") become analysis when anchored to specific words.
What are vague mood words?Show answer
Saying a setting "feels weird" or "is nice" without quoting the details that produce the feeling.
What is q1?Show answer
What is the difference between describing a setting and analysing it? [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
A character feels hopeful, and the writer describes "the first warm light spilling over the hills". What technique is this, and what is its effect? [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Why must a symbolic reading of a setting be argued from the text rather than simply asserted? [3 marks]
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