All fingers and thumbs

Oct 18 Cultural setting

"2021 Prep Calendar"  [E]

Oct. 18: - Setting: Cultural Setting ▼

Describe the cultural, political and/or religious setting in your novel, regardless of whether the cultural setting is fictional, historical, or modern.
(1) What do your societies believe?
(2) In what practices do they engage?
(3) What laws or rules of society are in place?
(4) Who/what enforces the laws and rules and how successful are they?
(5) What technologies are in use?
(6) How does the setting impact your protagonist(s) in their pre-story lives?
(7) How does the setting impact the plot of your story?

There are two worlds in my story. The modern world of today and the ancient Chinese world of more than 2000 years ago. (Hsia Dynasty)

The world picture of the Book: The sky is a round canopy composed of nine layers that cover a square earth. The two elements of light sky and heavy Earth are separated by world mountains that prop up the sky. The four corners of the Earth serve as directional markers; the center of the Earth serves as a fifth directional marker. Surrounding this earthly square is a linear stretch of water, named the north, south, east, and west seas. Surrounding the four seas is a different linear area known as the wilderness, named after the four compass points. These wildernesses are conceived of as being at the end of the Earth's flat poles, the north pole, south pole, east pole, and west pole.

In the first five books, one calls attention to the objects and creatures in nature that appear to be curious, weird, or paranormal

I want to take the actual Book Shanhaijing and mix it with fiction. The setting of the Book has a significant influence on the plot, and I am not sure yet how this will turn out.

The second main character, Poppy, turns out to be a mythical creature from the Book.

Used here: Penguin Classics. The Classic of Mountains and Seas by Anne Birrell(1999)