What is the setting in the book, W. E. B. Du Bois, 1868-1919: Biography of a Race?

Setting is not a tremendously important part of this biography except when a place is important to Du Bois. Lewis describes Great Barrington in detail, and talks a good deal about Germany and other places in Europe where Du Bois is struck by the beauty, sophistication or poverty of a location. However, Lewis tends to focus on the behavior of people living in certain places rather than the actual physical setting. For instance, readers learn how cold, damp and miserable England is when Lewis wants to paint a picture of Nina's unhappiness during her time there during WWI.