Setting.

The setting of a story includes where the story takes place (city, country, etc...), when it takes place (past, present, future), and the basic circumstances of life in that place and time.

 

The setting is important to a story because it can set the mood or the tone of the story, and because there are different expectations for different places and times. A story taking place on a mountainside on a sunny day in July will be quite different than a story taking place in the middle of a city during a blizzard.

 

How does the setting of the story affect the story you're reading?