What is context in writing? What is the context of a story? Learn the context definition and context meaning, and see context examples and types of context.
Updated: 07/09/2021
What is Context in Writing?
What is Context in Writing?
Context in writing is the type of setting in which a piece of writing in written and often provides clarity for the message that the writing is intending to convey. It is used to help inform the reader as to why a writer has written a piece of writing. The use of context in writing is vital to making sure that a written piece can connect with the readers with whom it's intended to connect. Some pieces of writing have obvious contexts and others need analysis and comprehension strategies to glean the true context. Either way, context is a central building block for writers and cannot be taken lightly while producing any type of written work.
Etymology and History
The word context traces back to the fifth century and has its origins in the Latin language. The word is derived from the Latin word contextus which translates to joining or combining together. The idea of joining together in literature can be seen as the overall context of the book joining together the characters, settings and ideas in the book. When context is used in reference to writing, there are other words that are synonyms that can help to better understand what context means. The following is a list of words that have similar meanings to the word context.
- background
- setting
- framework
- backdrop
- contexture
- situation
What is Context?
Context helps readers understand what they otherwise wouldn't be able to comprehend. It is a much-needed assistant, helping readers define unknown words and make sense of outside information.
In writing, it is often necessary to provide new words, concepts and information to help develop a thought. For example, maybe you need to include a fact to support your claim or a quote to better illustrate your analysis of a literary work. Whenever you use a fact or quote from another source, it is important that you tell the reader a bit about that information first. This is what we mean by context. You need to literally surround that piece of information with text that illuminates its meaning and relevancy. That is why context, when broken down, literally means 'with text.' It helps readers understand that which otherwise, they wouldn't be able to comprehend.
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Context: Role and Function
Context is very important to writing because it functions as a gateway or a conduit that connects the author to the reader. Proper context helps expand the themes in the story and gives the reader a deeper insight into the mind of the writer and the reasons why the writer chose to write the piece the way they did. The role that context plays in writing becomes very important and proper care must be taken to ensure it is being handled properly. The role that context plays is based on the considerations that are taken by the author with regards to how they wish the story to be received. Sometimes the author is focused on the reader and other times they are focused on their own experiences. So what kinds of roles do context play and what considerations are made because of the role?
Writer's Experience
When a writer influences a storyline through their own experience or point of view, the role of context is to bring the reader into the mind of the writer and let them connect with what the writer has already seen. This type of context requires some potential background knowledge from the reader. An example of this contextual role would be the influence of World War II had on C.S Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia stories. When the readers knows the context of the war with regards to the stories, it helps to better connect the reader to the ideas that Lewis was trying to portray.
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Reader's Experience
When a writer decides to write based on the context of their intended audience, then the role of context is quite different. Instead of the reader being connected to the story through the experiences of the writer, the writer becomes connected to the readers by understanding the context they experience. An example of this type of contextual role can be seen in many young adult books. Almost all books written for young adults are written by adults, but the authors try to write from the perspective of a teenager. A book that highlights this example is a book called A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher. The author is an adult writing from the perspective of a young boy in a post-apocalyptic world.
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Types of Context
Rhetorical Context
Rhetorical context is the most basic of the four types described in the lesson. Rhetorical context is the considerations made with regards to following:
- Purpose of the writing - Why is the piece being written? This essentially boils down to author's purpose.
- Audience - Who is the piece of writing for? The intended audience is a big part of rhetorical context and shapes the piece.
- Subject matter - What is the piece about? The subject of the writing is another key to developing the piece.
An example of rhetorical writing would be a doctor writing a paper about his findings on a disease. The doctor's purpose is to inform their readers who they know are going to be other doctors because the subject matter is medical.
Historical Context
Historical context centers around providing historical information about a given time period or historical event. Authors can write about the way people of a time period felt, acted, spoke, and dressed to help the readers better understand the underlying motivations of characters and the interactions of the different plot lines throughout the work. It gives readers an insight into the culture of the time and lets them feel how it was to live in their shoes.
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a novel written by author John Boyne and takes place at Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust. The power of the novel and its story come from its historical context and the horrors of the treatment of Jews during World War II.
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Cultural Context
Cultural context is based on the foods people eat, the religion they practice, the traditions they follow and the way they interact with one another. Cultural context can include entire nations, religions, states, regions, and even towns and villages. The most important thing about cultural context is to provide a vivid picture of how the people portrayed in the writing interact with each other and why they do the things they do. A story about marriage is made so much more meaningful if the cultural context explains the intricacies of marriage in the culture being described.
- Tomie dePaola was a beloved author of many famous children's books. DePaola wrote most of his stories about family and traditions based on his Italian heritage and how his large family interacted with each other. DePaola uses his Italian cultural context to make the stories so much more relatable.
Physical Context
Physical context is the author explaining the physical attributes of a setting or part of a setting in the story. The context of the physical world around the characters makes a significant impact on the context of the plot. Think of a child character left locked outside his house and his parents can't hear him knocking. If the author describes the outside as a nighttime scene with pouring rain and lightning crashing all around, the context is very different from the image of a bright sunny day. The physical environment often plays as big or even a bigger role than the characters do in some stories with heavy physical context.
- Jack London wrote several novels about life in the harsh wilderness of Alaska and the Yukon Territory. The unrelenting winters, snow, and cold played a huge contextual role in the story because of the extreme pressures the physical environment put on the characters.
Examples of Context
Context is one of the most important parts to writing well. The best novels, poems, and stories all use different types of context to connect the reader to the author, the chapters and the piece itself. Many great authors have used context in amazing and unique ways, and the table below gives some examples of those works.
| Literature | Author | Context Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Lee uses the cultural context of Jim Crow laws in the south in the novel as well as the discrimination against Black Americans in the south. |
| The Handmaid's Tale | Margaret Atwood | Atwood uses the context of a future dystopian society to set up the horrific cultural practices of using women for their fertility. |
| Night | Elie Weisel | Weisel uses the historical context of his own terrible experiences in the Holocaust to paint a bleak narrative about life in the concentration camps. |
| The DaVinci Code | Dan Brown | Brown uses the cultural context of Christian religious beliefs and ceremonies as the backbone to his fictional conspiracy thriller. |
| To Build a Fire | Jack London | London's short story is heavy with physical context as a man tries desperately and fails to start a fire before dying of extreme cold in the northern wilderness. |
Lesson Summary
Context in writing is the type of setting and circumstances in which a piece of writing is written. Context plays a huge role in connecting the author and their ideas to the reader. When the reader is given more context about setting, history, culture and physical attributes the plot is wrapped in, they begin to better connect with the material. Context is often focused on either the writer's background or the the background of the reader, who is the writer's intended audience.
- The author uses personal context when they bring the reader into their experiences.
- The writer uses their audience's context when the story's context revolves around the intended audience.
There are many types of context, but the following 4 are considered to be the most common and impactful.
- Rhetorical context is the author's purpose, intended audience and subject matter of the piece.
- Historical context is the time period or event that the story is based in or on.
- Cultural context is about the characters' religions, traditions, heritage and values.
- Physical context describes the physical environment that the writing takes place in.
The most well-loved and respected literature includes well constructed context to connect the writing to the reader. Books like To Kill a Mockingbird, Night, and To Build a Fire are examples of literature that leans heavily on context.
Context in Action
Including context means providing the reader with the situation, a background picture of where the piece of information came from and what or who is involved. If you are writing a book review and you need to include an excerpt from the text, then you'll need to tell the reader a) the situation, b) the setting and c) the speaker (if applicable) at the time of the quote.
Here is a quote from William Golding's Lord of the Flies: 'Maybe,' he said hesitantly, 'maybe there is a beast' (89).
As a reader, this excerpt makes little sense. Who is the 'he?' Who is the 'beast?' Why is 'he' wondering about the 'beast?' Is he afraid? Intrigued? Making a joke? Without context, we have no idea. Here is the same quote, but this time with context - the situation, setting and speaker - clearly identified:
While stranded on a deserted island, a group of boys believe there is a dangerous creature lurking in the underbrush; Simon is the first to identify this menace, suggesting to the boys that 'maybe,' he said hesitantly, 'maybe there is a beast' (89).
Here, the context clearly identifies the situation - the island boys recognize a threat - and also details where the quote takes place and who is speaking. We surround the excerpt with text, and in this, provide much-needed context. Without it, the reader is left with many unanswered questions; the quote confuses rather than enlightens. With context, however, the excerpt makes sense and is ready to support whatever claim the writer might want to make.
Context can also help readers understand difficult vocabulary words. By surrounding an unfamiliar word with familiar words, a reader can guess at the meaning of the new word. If someone asks you what pulchritudinous means, and you didn't know the definition off-hand, you are out of luck. However, if the person asking you used the word in a sentence - 'The heroine's pulchritudinous appearance, evident in her fair complexion and radiant smile, made all the suitors swoon' - you would now have a good idea that word pulchritudinous has something to do with being physically attractive. The clues, available in the context, allow for that.
Lesson Summary
Let's review. Context helps readers understand what they otherwise wouldn't be able to comprehend. It is a much-needed assistant, helping readers define unknown words and make sense of outside information. Without context, readers would not be able to fully understand the writer's intent.
The Purpose of Context
 |
- Gives the reader an idea of who and what
- Helps define unknown words or make sense of outside information
- Allows the audience to understand the writer's intent and reason for including the information
- Necessary whenever a quote is used in a text
Learning Outcomes
After you've finished, you should be able to:
- State what context is in writing
- Explain why context is necessary to include when using a quotation
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Video Transcript
What is Context?
Context helps readers understand what they otherwise wouldn't be able to comprehend. It is a much-needed assistant, helping readers define unknown words and make sense of outside information.
In writing, it is often necessary to provide new words, concepts and information to help develop a thought. For example, maybe you need to include a fact to support your claim or a quote to better illustrate your analysis of a literary work. Whenever you use a fact or quote from another source, it is important that you tell the reader a bit about that information first. This is what we mean by context. You need to literally surround that piece of information with text that illuminates its meaning and relevancy. That is why context, when broken down, literally means 'with text.' It helps readers understand that which otherwise, they wouldn't be able to comprehend.
Context in Action
Including context means providing the reader with the situation, a background picture of where the piece of information came from and what or who is involved. If you are writing a book review and you need to include an excerpt from the text, then you'll need to tell the reader a) the situation, b) the setting and c) the speaker (if applicable) at the time of the quote.
Here is a quote from William Golding's Lord of the Flies: 'Maybe,' he said hesitantly, 'maybe there is a beast' (89).
As a reader, this excerpt makes little sense. Who is the 'he?' Who is the 'beast?' Why is 'he' wondering about the 'beast?' Is he afraid? Intrigued? Making a joke? Without context, we have no idea. Here is the same quote, but this time with context - the situation, setting and speaker - clearly identified:
While stranded on a deserted island, a group of boys believe there is a dangerous creature lurking in the underbrush; Simon is the first to identify this menace, suggesting to the boys that 'maybe,' he said hesitantly, 'maybe there is a beast' (89).
Here, the context clearly identifies the situation - the island boys recognize a threat - and also details where the quote takes place and who is speaking. We surround the excerpt with text, and in this, provide much-needed context. Without it, the reader is left with many unanswered questions; the quote confuses rather than enlightens. With context, however, the excerpt makes sense and is ready to support whatever claim the writer might want to make.
Context can also help readers understand difficult vocabulary words. By surrounding an unfamiliar word with familiar words, a reader can guess at the meaning of the new word. If someone asks you what pulchritudinous means, and you didn't know the definition off-hand, you are out of luck. However, if the person asking you used the word in a sentence - 'The heroine's pulchritudinous appearance, evident in her fair complexion and radiant smile, made all the suitors swoon' - you would now have a good idea that word pulchritudinous has something to do with being physically attractive. The clues, available in the context, allow for that.
Lesson Summary
Let's review. Context helps readers understand what they otherwise wouldn't be able to comprehend. It is a much-needed assistant, helping readers define unknown words and make sense of outside information. Without context, readers would not be able to fully understand the writer's intent.
The Purpose of Context
|
- Gives the reader an idea of who and what
- Helps define unknown words or make sense of outside information
- Allows the audience to understand the writer's intent and reason for including the information
- Necessary whenever a quote is used in a text
Learning Outcomes
After you've finished, you should be able to:
- State what context is in writing
- Explain why context is necessary to include when using a quotation
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an example of a context?
Context in the setting, environment or period which writing is built on. An example of context would be the novel Lord of the Flies, which has a strong physical context of a deserted island and the need for survival.
What is context in writing?
Context in writing is the setting or backdrop in which the story is written. The context could be historical, physical, cultural or rhetorical.
What's another word for context?
There are many synonyms of the word context, but the most direct synonyms are background, setting, framework, backdrop, contexture, situation
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