The Open Window Setting

The
setting is the living room of a big country manor house. The reader may never have seen such a
house, but they are frequently shown in movies, notably in adaptations of Sherlock Holmes
stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Characteristically, the males who live in these upper-class
homes like to hunt fowl and small game. They are stereotypical English country gentlemen. The
owners of these houses are usually owners of the surrounding land and derive their incomes from
rents paid by tenant farmers. The female occupants have liittle to do, since there are always
plenty of servants indoors and ourdoors. The women and girls lead sheltered domestic lives. They
wear long dresses with plenty of cumbersome undergarments. Their constricting clothing prevents
them from enjoying much activity, which is probably the intention. They read, play music, sing,
and engage in conversations. A visitor is a welcome change in their routines, as is the visit of
Framton Nuttel in "." His tormentor Vera probably would be less mischievous if she had
more to do with her time. Boys typically are sent off to school, but girls are typically kept at
home. Vera and Framton make good contrasting characters because they are so different in so many
respects. She is comfortable in the setting because she lives there, while he is uncomfortable
because he is a total stranger and has to force himself to present his letter of
introduction.had to invent a reason for Framton, a total stranger, to be
there.