Characters, Setting & Mood - in Reading & Writing

This resource is suitable for revision for GCSE English Language if used alongside the Oxford AQA English Language Revision Guide. It could also be used by English Tutors during online tutoring sessions.

Characterisation

Ways to depict characters:

Explicit information
Implicit information
Dialogue

Things to depict:

Actions
Speech
Appearance
Interactions with others

What do these examples tell us about characters and how?

“Maria was the most organised person in the whole class.”
“Jake’s hands shook as he tried to unlock the door.”
“I don’t need your help,” Lucy snapped.
He slammed the book shut and stormed out of the room.
“I’ve never been more certain,” he said firmly.
His coat was torn at the sleeves and two sizes too big.
He stepped aside to let the younger children go first.

Answers:

“Maria was the most organised person in the whole class.” — Explicit information
“Jake’s hands shook as he tried to unlock the door.” — Implicit information
“I don’t need your help,” Lucy snapped. — Dialogue
He slammed the book shut and stormed out of the room. — Action
“I’ve never been more certain,” he said firmly. — Speech
His coat was torn at the sleeves and two sizes too big. — Appearance
He stepped aside to let the younger children go first. — Interaction with others

Setting

Which two of the ‘W questions’ are conveyed by setting?

Setting and context (fill the gaps):

Setting gives the story its overall context. It tells the reader w___ and w___ the action takes place.

Time might include:

a _______ period (e.g., medieval times or the future)
a ________ (such as autumn or summer)
a particular month or c_________ (like Ramadan, Diwali or Christmas)
a time of _____ (for example, dawn, midday or evening)

Place refers to the l________ of the story, which could be a specific town, region or country.

Answers:

Setting gives the story its overall context. It tells the reader when and where the action takes place.

Time might include:

a historical period (e.g., medieval times or the future)
a season (such as autumn or summer)
a particular month or celebration (like Ramadan, Diwali or Christmas)
a time of day (for example, dawn, midday or evening)

Place refers to the location of the story, which could be a specific town, region or country.

Mood

Mood = emotions and atmosphere

The weather can be used for drama or to echo characters feelings.

Examples:

Example 1
Rain hammered against the windows as the wind howled through the empty street.

Example 2
Warm sunlight spilled across the garden, and children’s laughter drifted through the open window.

Answers

Example 1
Rain hammered against the windows as the wind howled through the empty street.

How mood is created:
The use of harsh verbs like hammered and howled, along with the description of an empty street, creates a tense, unsettling mood.

Example 2
Warm sunlight spilled across the garden, and children’s laughter drifted through the open window.

How mood is created:
Positive sensory details such as warm sunlight and laughter create a cheerful, peaceful mood.

The Effects of Characterisation, Setting & Mood

In extract 1 explain how the character is portrayed. Explain why.

The format of the characters name
A positive or negative depiction
Odd features
His interests
His personality

Extract 1: 'The Snail Watcher' by Patricia Highsmith
This extract from a short story is about Mr Knoppert and his hobby of snail watching.

When Mr Peter Knoppert began to make a hobby of snail-watching, he had no idea that his handful of specimens would become hundreds in no time. Only two months after the original snails were carried up to the Knoppert study, some thirty glass tanks and bowls, all teeming with snails, lined the walls, rested on the desk and windowsills, and were beginning even to cover the floor.

Mrs Knoppert disapproved strongly, and would no longer enter the room. It smelled, she said, and besides she had once stepped on a snail by accident, a horrible sensation she would never forget.

But the more his wife and friends deplored his unusual and vaguely repellent pastime, the more pleasure Mr Knoppert seemed to find in it.

“I never cared for nature before in my life,” Mr Knoppert often remarked – he was a partner in a brokerage firm, a man who had devoted all his life to the science of finance – “but snails have opened my eyes to the beauty of the animal world.”

If his friends commented that snails were not really animals, and their slimy habitats hardly the best example of the beauty of nature, Mr Knoppert would tell them with a superior smile that they simply didn’t know all that he knew about snails.

brokerage: buying and selling stocks and shares

In extract 2 explain how the writer conveys the setting and mood. Explain:

The materials described
Personification
Vulnerability
The effect of the big building
Implications about corporate power
Why the scene seems inhuman
Wealth

Extract 2: Brick Lane by Monica Ali
This extract is from a novel, and is from the point of view of Nazneen, who has recently arrived in London from Bangladesh, and is walking in a business district in London.

She looked up at a building as she passed. It was constructed almost entirely of glass, with a few thin rivets of steel holding it together. The entrance was like a glass fan, rotating slowly, sucking people in, wafting others out.

Inside, on a raised dais, a woman behind a glass desk crossed and uncrossed her thin legs. She wedged a telephone receiver between her ear and shoulder and chewed on a fingernail.

Nazneen craned her head back and saw that the glass above became dark as a night pond. The building was without end. Above, somewhere, it crushed the clouds. The next building and the one opposite were white stone palaces. There were steps up to the entrances and colonnades across the front.

Men in dark suits trotted briskly up and down the steps, in pairs or in threes. They barked to each other and nodded sombrely.

colonnades: rows of columns, as in ancient Greek architecture

How to Write about Characterisation, Setting & Mood

Words for commentary:

Try making examples for these commentary words using one of the previous text extracts.

…portrays…
…conveys a sense of…
…creates an impression of…
…emphasises…
…implies that…
…focuses attention on…

Writing about Characterisation

How does this response to extract 1 write about:

Implications
Personality
How points are supported
Summary
Explanation with evidence

sample Answer:

Mr Knoppert’s interest in 'snail-watching' is presented in a light, almost casual way, but the word 'specimens' hints at a more serious, scientific attitude that links back to his background in finance. The description of his study filled with 'thirty glass tanks and bowls' and the snails 'teeming' inside them shows how quickly his hobby turns into an overwhelming collection. Listing the places where the tanks sit — on the walls, the desk, the windowsills, and even the floor — highlights just how excessive it has become and suggests that his behaviour is increasingly unusual.

The reactions of those around him help to reinforce this impression. Words like 'deplored' and 'vaguely repellent' show his wife and friends’ strong disapproval. Interestingly, he seems to take satisfaction in their discomfort, as if their disgust only encourages him further.

Writing about Setting and Mood

How does this response to extra 2 write about:

Linking character to setting
Implied meaning of writer’s word choices
Point, evidence, analysis
How language features create mood
Descriptions, settings and symbolism.

Sample Answer:

Nazneen experiences the city through her own eyes, and her reactions show how unusual the surroundings feel to her. She has to tilt her head to take in the height and construction of the glass building, which seems both impressive and fragile, held together by only a few thin steel rivets.

Glass dominates the scene. The revolving entrance is described 'like a glass fan', and a woman behind a 'glass desk' moves with precise, controlled gestures. The hard, cold materials of glass and steel create a sense of distance and unfriendliness, giving the impression that this is a world not meant for her. When the glass above is described as 'dark as a night pond', it uses imagery from the natural world to make the artificial setting feel tense and threatening.

The building stretches 'without end', and its overwhelming scale, combined with the way it seems to 'crush' the clouds, makes the cityscape feel unnatural and intimidating.

Using Characterisation, Setting & Mood in Your Own Writing

Characterisation

Practice applying these questions to two different characters (so that you can make comparisons)

Who is the character?

What drives or motivates them?

What are their goals or desires?
How do they speak or express themselves?
What might be a line they would typically say?
What problems, challenges, or fears do they face?
What is their gender and approximate age?
How does their behaviour or mannerisms show their personality?

What do their clothes and appearance reveal about them?

Setting & Mood

How could you convey these moods? (add some other moods).

Joyful

Sinister
Relaxed
Tense
Melancholy
Romantic

Review

Define and give examples for these key terms:

Characterisation
Dialogue
Mood
Narrator

Questions

Can writers create characters just by describing their appearance? True or false?
What other ways can writers show information about their characters?
Does setting only refer to time? True or false?
What types of time could be included in a setting?
What does the 'mood' of a text mean?
What mood is created in this description?
The sun shone warmly over the blooming garden, birds chirped cheerfully, and petals drifted gently on the breeze.
How can weather descriptions help create mood in a story?

Answers

False.
Writers can show character through their actions, dialogue, and interactions with other characters.
False. Setting also includes place.
Setting can include historical period, time of day or night, season, or special occasions and celebrations.
Mood is the atmosphere of a text and the feelings it creates in the reader.
Happy and peaceful.
Weather can reflect a character’s emotions or the tone of a scene.

Previous Topics

Questions

What does emotive language mean?
What is juxtaposition, and what effect does it create?

Answers

Language that is designed to evoke an emotional response.
Placing two ideas or images close together to create contrast or highlight differences.

Writing Activity

Writing Task: Creating Characters, Setting, and Mood

Part 1: Characterisation
Create two contrasting characters. For each character, answer the following questions:

Who is the character?
What drives or motivates them?
What are their goals or desires?
How do they speak or express themselves?
What might be a line they would typically say?
What problems, challenges, or fears do they face?
What is their gender and approximate age?
How does their behaviour or mannerisms show their personality?
What do their clothes and appearance reveal about them?

Use your answers to write a short paragraph about each character, showing both explicit and implicit details, dialogue, and actions.

Part 2: Setting & Mood
Choose a place and time for your story. Consider:

Historical period, season, time of day, or a special occasion.
Location: town, city, countryside, or building.

Decide on the mood you want to create (e.g., joyful, tense, sinister, romantic, melancholy).

Write a short scene (6–10 sentences) that:

Shows your characters in this setting.
Uses description of the environment, weather, or surroundings to create mood.
Includes at least one example of personification, simile, or metaphor.

Tips:

Show your characters through actions, speech, and interactions rather than just telling the reader what they are like.
Use the setting to reflect your characters’ feelings or highlight tension.
Think about how mood can be created through sensory details (sight, sound, touch).

Reading Activity

Reading Task: Exploring Character, Setting & Mood

Instructions:
Choose a passage from any book, short story, or article you are reading. Answer the following questions based on your chosen extract.

You could find something to read here:

Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ – thousands of free novels, stories, and plays.

Text Extracts: https://bookoxygen.com/?cat=23

Text Extracts: https://thebookerprizes.com/features/book-extracts

Part 1: Characterisation

Who is the main character in this extract?
What do we learn about their personality?
How does the writer show this? (Consider actions, dialogue, appearance, thoughts, and interactions with others)
Find one line that shows explicit information about the character.
Find one example of implicit information that reveals character indirectly.

Part 2: Setting

Where and when does the scene take place?
How does the writer describe the place?
How does the setting make the character feel, or how does it affect the story?
Pick one phrase that gives a clear sense of time.
Pick one phrase that gives a clear sense of place.

Part 3: Mood

What mood is created in this extract?
How does the writer use language to create this mood? (Think about descriptive words, weather, metaphors, similes, personification)
Does the mood change at any point? If so, how?
Find one word or phrase that contributes most to the mood and explain why.

Extension:
Compare how character, setting, and mood work together in your extract. How do the choices of the writer make the scene more engaging or powerful?