Setting

The setting of "On Discovery" is the Land of Women, which is, the narrator suggests, North America. The Land of Women is run by women, and there are no taxes or wars. The dates, too, are difficult to pin down: the narrator initially places the story in a timeless setting of long ago in a place far away, but by the end, the narrator is fairly certain that the events of this story occurred either during the reign of the real-life Empress Wu (A.D. 694705) or in the fifth century; in either case, long before Christopher Columbus sailed to America.

Point of View and Narration

"On Discovery" is narrated in the third person. The narrator presents a limited point of view, staying on the surface of the story and not allowing readers access to Tang Ao's or the women's unspoken thoughts. Tang Ao therefore remains a flat, or...