The Last Man: Setting and world
13 lenses on setting and world for The Last Man by Mary Shelley. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9 I10 I11 I12 I13
I1. Places named and how often each appears. Count
England is the place named most, 130 times.
| Place | Mentions | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| England | 130 | 28 |
| Windsor | 112 | 23 |
| London | 88 | 18 |
| Greece | 56 | 15 |
| Rome | 34 | 7 |
| Constantinople | 25 | 8 |
| France | 18 | 9 |
| Italy | 13 | 9 |
| Cumberland | 10 | 5 |
| Switzerland | 10 | 4 |
| Vienna | 4 | 2 |
I2. Setting by chapter, as a map. Both
The place named most in each chapter. A rough setting map. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Chapter | Place named most |
|---|---|
| 1 | England |
| 2 | Windsor |
| 3 | England |
| 4 | Windsor |
| 5 | England |
| 6 | England |
| 7 | England |
| 8 | Windsor |
| 9 | London |
| 10 | Greece |
| 11 | Greece |
| 12 | Greece |
| 13 | England |
| 14 | Greece |
Settings progress from Cumberland (c1 to 2) to Vienna (c3) to Windsor (c4 to 6) to Greece (c11 to 13) to England under plague (c14 to 22) to France and Switzerland (c23 to 26) to Italy (c27) to sea and Rome (c28 to 29). The journey traces westward spread of plague across Europe.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 3, Ch 11, Ch 14, Ch 23, Ch 28
I3. Setting shown in blocks or woven into action? AI
Setting is woven into action rather than presented in blocks. Shelley reveals locations through character movement and dialogue. However, chapters 15, 18, and 20 pause narrative to describe plague's effects across England in more static, reflective passages.
Chapters: Ch 15, Ch 18, Ch 20
I4. Weather and light used for mood. Both
Weather and light words: 2.99 per 1,000 words.
Weather and light words, chapter by chapter
Weather and light powerfully signal mood. Spring's indifferent beauty contrasts with human death (c20). Winter offers temporary reprieve from plague (c15). Storms at sea mirror emotional turmoil (c28). A black sun rising (c14) marks plague's arrival with apocalyptic dread.
Chapters: Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 20, Ch 28
On the twenty-first of June, it was said that an hour before noon, a black sun arose: an orb, the size of that luminary, but dark, defined, whose beams were shadows, ascended from the west (Ch 14, para 19)
Winter was hailed, a general and never-failing physician. The embrowning woods, and swollen rivers, the evening mists, and morning frosts, were welcomed with gratitude. (Ch 15, para 23)
Plague is the companion of spring, of sunshine, and plenty. We no longer struggle with her. (Ch 20, para 3)
I5. The social world: class, money, rules. AI
Class and rank structure the plot. Lionel's low birth bars him from Idris (c4 to 5). Raymond's ambition for power drives his infidelity (c6 to 9). Plague erases all social hierarchy, reducing rank to meaninglessness (c18). Money and status become irrelevant as survival alone matters.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 6, Ch 18
There was but one good and one evil in the world—life and death. The pomp of rank, the assumption of power, the possessions of wealth vanished like morning mist (Ch 18, para 63)
I6. Rules of the world (magic, science) and when each is shown. AI
The novel operates within natural law, not magic. Plague is a biological force spreading westward. Evadne's prophecy and the mad prophet's visions suggest fate but remain ambiguous. Science and reason fail against plague, establishing nature's indifference as the book's governing rule.
Chapters: Ch 11, Ch 14, Ch 17
I7. Lore: dripped in or dumped? AI
Lore is dripped in subtly through allusions to classical texts, prophecy, and historical events rather than dumped. Evadne's prophecy emerges gradually (c11 to 12). The impostor-prophet's fanaticism unfolds through scenes (c24 to 25). Shelley trusts readers to absorb meaning through narrative.
Chapters: Ch 11, Ch 24, Ch 25
I8. Real history used, and how. AI
The novel is set in a future England (year 2092) but uses real geography and historical references. Constantinople's siege echoes actual Ottoman history. The plague's westward spread mirrors historical pandemics. Shelley grounds speculative fiction in recognisable historical patterns.
Chapters: Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 14
I9. Journeys: distance and time taken. Both
Journeys span years and continents. Vienna takes two years (c3). Greece journey spans months (c11 to 13). The emigration from England to Switzerland to Italy spans chapters 23 to 27, covering weeks of plague-driven flight. Final voyage seeks the world's shores (c29).
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 11, Ch 23, Ch 29
I10. Objects that matter, where they appear. Both
plague is the object named most.
| Object | Mentions | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| plague | 129 | 18 |
| tomb | 39 | 16 |
| boat | 34 | 13 |
| carriage | 28 | 12 |
| letter | 21 | 8 |
| corpse | 12 | 10 |
| ship | 6 | 3 |
| standard | 4 | 1 |
Objects carry symbolic weight. Raymond's body in Constantinople (c12 to 13) represents ambition's futility. Idris's tomb at Windsor (c22) marks love's end. Lionel's pen in Rome (c29) becomes his tool for bearing witness. The boat in final chapters symbolises isolation and search.
Chapters: Ch 12, Ch 22, Ch 29
I bent over the body, and took in my hand the edge of his cloak, less altered in appearance than the human frame it clothed (Ch 13, para 11)
Tomb of Idris, farewell! Grave, in which my heart lies sepultured, farewell for ever! (Ch 23, para 34)
I11. Density of period detail. AI
Period detail is moderate. Shelley includes references to elections, the Protectorate, and diplomatic posts but avoids heavy technical description. The future setting (2092) is treated as continuous with Shelley's present, requiring minimal world-building explanation.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 14
I12. Setting as an enemy. AI
Setting becomes an enemy as plague advances. England transforms from refuge to tomb (c17). France becomes a wasteland of corpses (c26). The sea kills Adrian and Clara (c28). Nature itself, indifferent spring, violent storms, opposes human survival throughout.
Chapters: Ch 17, Ch 26, Ch 28
Death is among us! The earth is beautiful and flower-bedecked, but she is our grave! (Ch 17, para 20)
Plague is the companion of spring, of sunshine, and plenty. We no longer struggle with her. (Ch 20, para 3)
Behold us now in our frail tenement, hemmed in by hungry, roaring waves, buffeted by winds. In the inky east two vast clouds, sailing contrary ways, met; the lightning leapt forth, and the hoarse thunder muttered (Ch 28, para 13)
I13. Indoors against outdoors. Both
Outdoor words outnumber indoor words 612 to 317. (rough estimate from word lists)
Indoor share %, chapter by chapter
Early chapters balance indoors (Windsor Castle, Vienna salons) with outdoors (Cumberland moors, Greek landscapes). As plague spreads, indoors becomes dangerous and outdoors offers no refuge. Final chapters emphasise vast empty spaces, Rome's ruins, the open sea, reflecting Lionel's isolation.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 17, Ch 29
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