Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
The events of Moby-Dick, written by Melville in 1851, take place in the mid-19th century and revolve around the North American whaling industry. Renowned as one of the foremost examples of the great American novel, Moby-Dick explores many themes pertinent to its contextual background, with ideas of race, slavery, religion, industrialism, and capitalism all engaged in various ways. Starting in Nantucket, an important North American whaling hub off the coast of Massachusetts, Melville almost immediately sets forth ideas surrounding prejudice and race in Ishmael’s meeting with Queequeg—indeed, race proves an important theme throughout the novel.