Setting

Published in 2002, the short story “Prospect House” by Frances Childs takes place in the UK as indicated by the references to London (l.3) and Winchester (l. 113), in an indefinite time period (the events could happen any time). However, the fact that the girls go to the pub together suggests that the st…

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Physical setting

The physical setting is Prospect House—the institution for single teenage girls, but also places in the area: the pub, the theatre hall, Sussex House (an institution for teen mothers), and the city streets of Winchester. Out of these places, the only one which is described in more detail is Sussex House: “at their dirty damp institution wit…

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Social setting

Firstly, the social setting conveys aspects about the situation of unwanted teen girls (orphans or neglected by their parents). Prospect House and Sussex House are institutions that are supposed to offer these girls a shelter when they are single or when they become mothers. The fact that an employee at Prospect House is the one who finds the teens jobs, suggests that these institutions are also meant to help the girls earn a living and integrate into society. Furthermore, we find out that after teen girls become mothers, social services provide them with a place to stay which, ironically, becomes an impulse fo…