Cause and Effect in Setting

In this chapter, I discuss the causal impacts of setting or environment on characters and events in stories. To do this, I explore six short stories that show a range of these effects: the way harsh physical environments limit characters’ actions; the way harsh social environments impact characters; the effects of moving between two very different environments; the ways speculative fiction might allow unrealistic settings to impact characters; the ways physical environment and weather may affect characters’ moods and, indirectly, their actions; and lastly, what to say about a story that has virtually no setting at all.