Recitatif

by Toni Morrison

Recitatif: Setting 1 key example

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:

Broadly, the short story is set in Newburgh, New York in the 1950s and 1960s. During this period, known as the Civil Rights Era, much of the United States remained segregated, and activists all over the country fought for racial equality. The story plays out against this tense backdrop and progresses through various vignettes chronologically, beginning at St. Bonny's, the dreary orphanage where Twyla and Roberta first meet. Though the conditions there are difficult, a bond develops between the two.