Setting in A White Heron

The setting of the story is now more specific. New England is a region located in the northeast corner of the United States and consists of six states, including Maine. The story’s author, Sarah Orne Jewett, lived in a rural area of Maine all her life (1849-1909). The daughter of a country doctor, she often went with her father on his house calls and came to respect the country people she met and about whom she wrote throughout her literary career. Jewett’s personal history suggests that “this New England wilderness” refers to a rural landscape in Maine.

The first line partially introduces the setting of the story, which will be become more specific as the story continues.