Social Conditions

The final element of setting is the SOCIAL CONDITIONS in which the story takes place. How does the society of the time, the culture, or the historical context influence the story? If a novel is set in a present-day high school struggling with cliques and groups that are in conflict, the SOCIAL CONDITIONS within that high school would affect the story. A story set in France during the Middle Ages would be very different than a story set in the same time period in Japan because of differences in societal conditions. While both settings provide exciting backdrops, the SOCIAL CONDITIONS in the two countries - the culture, the government, and the events in the region – would provide very different experiences for the characters.