The importance given to the setting of a novel varies from writer to writer and from book to book. At its most limited it acts merely as a decorative frame to the action and has the same function as an exotic location in a film -- it gets the reader's aspirational juices flowing. It can also provide an informative backdrop to your characters and can help to shed light on their moods and behaviour -- think Heathcliffe on Wuthering Heights, Eustacia Vye on Egdon Heath or Mark Renton in Trainspotting.
Given that the hallmark of good writing is to be doing several things at the same time (advancing the story, commenting on character, establishing mood and tone are much more gripping if done simultaneously rather than one after another) I thought it might be interesting to give some thought to how setting can influence the plot. In Michael Dibdin's Zen novels, currently being given a lush makeover as a BBC TV series, the fact that the action takes place in Rome provides endless scope for Mafia-style corruption and casual brutality.
It might be interesting to have a go at this yourself. Try writing a story in which the setting defines and influences what happens to the characters-- it might help to synthesise the various elements of your narrative into something organic, with added depth!
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