Both the temporal setting and the geographic setting of a piece of literature can have a considerable impact on plot and storyline.

Let me explain the temporal setting first. The temporal setting refers to the time when a story is set, in other words the era—for example, the nineteenth century or the Victorian Era. The geographic setting, on the other hand, is not linked to a specific period of time; instead, it refers to the place where the story takes place, such as a certain city or a country. This explanation should hopefully make it clear to you that both of these settings can heavily influence a character's behavior within a story.

Again, let's look at the temporal setting first. If a novel, or any other piece of literature, is set in a certain period of time, then the characters within this work will usually behave in the way that was typical for the people who would have lived during this period of time. For example, if a story is set in the 1950s, one would expect that the characters within the story may have a fairly conservative and traditional outlook on life. With regard to the geographic setting, you could use the Middle East as an example for how a character's behavior is shaped by the geographic setting. If a story is set in the Middle East, the characters in the story would very likely be living according to Muslim tradition. For example, female characters would probably enjoy less freedom than they would have in the Western world.