SETTING FUNCTIONS IN THE ECO-FICTION NOVELS OF AMERICAN WRITER MARY ALICE MONROE

Abstract

This article reviews that setting in a literary work can alleviate some of the writer's difficulties in describing the time and space by allowing a reader to focus on the story's plot and characters. Since the works of Mary Alice Monroe are of an environmental nature, it is explained that the author skillfully portrays real places in her works, such as an island, a beach, a mountain, a fertile plantation, and other wildlife environments. The article is aimed at to study the literary analysis of the setting and its functions in the eco-fiction novels “Time is a River”, “Sweetgrass”, “The Summer of Lost and Found” by American writer M.A.Monroe. We distinguish 5 functions of setting in these novels:1) Setting as a background for action; 2)Setting as an antagonist; 3)Setting as a means of creating appropriate atmosphere; 4)Setting as a means of revealing character; 5)Setting as a means of reinforcing the theme.