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Personification
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 War of the Worlds takes place in Victorian England. An alien invasion causes the narrator to move from place to place within that area, giving the novel an epic sense of movement. Still, despite all this movement, Wells provides a very clear picture of place throughout the novel. Most of the narrative unfolds in London and Woking, Surrey (a town in Southern England). The narrator lives in Woking; his cousin, on the other hand, lives in Leatherhead, which the characters come to see as a place of safety. The site of the first cylinder landing is called Horsell Common, which still exists by that name and was at the time within walking distance of Wells's home. The use of real-life locations makes the story seem quite possible, despite its far-fetched premise.
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