Ron Paul Curriculum 7th Grade English Lesson 20 Essay: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court: Setting

Ron Paul Curriculum 7th Grade English Class

Taught by: Professor Bradley Fish

Lesson 20 Essay: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court: Setting

      The setting of the book A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, written by Mark Twain, is interesting and funny at the same time.  There are six primary parts of setting in a book.  Juxtaposition, Milieu, Customs, Satire, Mood, and Visualization.  The setting of a book is basically the backdrop for the story.  Similar to a play, the setting gives the reader context.  Let's look into this book and see how setting applies to it.  

      Juxtaposition means two things being placed close together for contrasting effect.  The juxtaposition of A Connecticut Yankee stands out almost immediately.  A young man named Hank Morgan travels through time and is set from the 19th century to the 6th century.  This offers some intriguing juxtapositions in the book, as the culture and people of the sixth century are completely different than Hank Morgan, as he, coming from the 1800s, dresses and acts differently than them.

      Another part of a setting that stands out is the milieu.  The milieu outlines the date, time, and cultural parts of a story.  The milieu in this book, which is describing the 6th century, is different from the 19th century, quickly grasps your attention.

      The custom of a book, or what people do and like during a specific time period, is a constant cause of laughter in this book, as for example, women from all over come and tell tall tales of princesses trapped in castles by ogres, and, all the knights believe this and immediately go searching for these castles!

      The satire, or a genre of literature that ridicules individuals or cultures, is used often to shame the target into improvement.  Usually the satire is staged in the form of a joke, but is designed to give constructive social criticism.  In A Connecticut Yankee the whole book is a satire of modern government, mocking the debates and petty arguements of the American Government in Mark Twain's time period.

      The sixth part of the setting of a book is the visualization, where the setting and details create a picture in your mind of what's happening in the story.  Any good author can describe the setting, so that you can visualize it without the use of pictures.  Mark Twain does this quite well in this book, as it seemed to transport me to the silly time period of these silly people.