Setting

Peter Taylor's fiction is set in the American South. His "A Spinster's Tale" is set in Nashville, where the Taylor family lived for several years. Another autobiographical aspect is socio-economic status; Taylor's and Elizabeth's families are wealthy and privileged. Elizabeth's home is comfortable and staffed with several "Negro" servants and cooks. The use of the word "Negro" provides insight into the setting, as well as the era, since this is what African Americans were commonly called in the early part of the twentieth century.

At that time, discriminatory practices limited opportunities for African Americans in the South. One of the few jobs available was as domestic help. Racial segregation is obvious when Elizabeth reveals that her father's secretary lives in an area she casually refers to as "nigger town." This indicates how widespread views of racial inferiority were, as does Mr. Speed's constant refrain "nigger, nigger," during the...