Setting

In what follows, we will focus on the setting of “Gon-do-la” by Annemarie Neary.

Time setting

The time setting of the short story is most likely 2014, the year when the text was published. Several other clues hint at this: Zhang currently living in modern times – as the references to “smart phones” (l. 88) and Lady “Gaga” (l. 147) indicate – and the reference to the resort called “Royal Lagoon City” (l. 144). The resort is very likely to be the current Tangla Dongguan (former: Sofitel Dongguan Royal Lagoon), a five-star resort in China which opened its gates to visitors in 2014. Still, no clear indication is given regarding the actual location of the resort.

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Physical setting

The main physical setting of the short story is the factory in which Zhang works. The factory produces many things, from pencil sharpeners to toys, small lamps (ll. 69-70) or larger objects, such as the Exquisite model gondola:

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Social setting

Finally, the social setting of the story presents the way in which Zhang, a woman in her late fifties or early sixties, struggles to come to terms with the modern times in which she lives.

After living a great deal of her life under the rule of Mao Zedong, Zhang has remained deeply influenced by it.

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