Setting

   After reading the book 'Fever, 1793' by Laurie Halse Anderson and the historical source 'The Diary of Elizabeth Drinker, the Life Cycle of an Eighteenth Century Woman' by Elizabeth Drinker, I am going to compare and contrast the setting of Mattie's world and how authentically Anderson displayed this 'fake world' in her novel in relation to the actual setting.
   One thing that you must understand was that Mrs. Drinker's house was notioned to be very posh and luxurious, giving the impression that the Drinker family was on the more wealthy side of the spectrum. The house was described as being big and spacious, and having a large garden (look right for an example of a wealthy family's house). When Mrs. Drinker and her family fled the capital from the fever, she specifically stated that she was sad to see her large silver tree go, and she mentioned its broken branches and lack of fruit upon the family's return. In Anderson's story, Mattie and her mother visit a wealthy family's house. It is described as having all the same qualities; it is very large and lavish, and all of the family's clothes are the newest, cleanest, coolest garments of their era. As they arrive, Mattie's mother becomes intimidated, and her hand 'immediately goes to the small stain on her dress'. Later on, like the Drinkers, this family also flees, as most rich families did, usually to the country where a luxurious summer home resided. In terms of a wealth family's house, the author was spot on.
   However, Mattie's life was not that of Mrs. Drinker's. Her family was poorer, and they lived upstairs from their coffeehouse (look left for an example of what one might have looked like). But, after doing some additional research on some other sites (CLICK HERE), I have found that the coffeehouse that Mattie and her family lived in also seemed to check out, also proven to be true to its time period.
   In both accounts, fictional and real, the people Mattie and Elizabeth lived in Philadelphia, the nation's capital. This is historically accurate, as most people effected by the fever lived here, and this setting encompasses all the others in the 'Fever, 1793' book.
   In conclusion, I still must say that Anderson has crafted her fictional story in a way that is both entertaining and true to the setting of the actual events in 1793.