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Martin prefaces each scene in the novel in terms of both time and place, e.g. "London, England November, 2008". How important is such contextualization to your enjoyment of a novel? Please give (an) example(s) of such contextualization from your own reading. For instance, I cannot think of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens as being set in any other place than England during Victorian times, due to the landscapes of the, among others, marshes and the convict boats on the River Thames.

It is very important to me. It is imagery. I think I am like you and couldn't think of certain books as being set in any other place than the place and time that was contextualized. Diana Gabaldon is one of my favorite authors. I couldn't imagine the Outlander series being set in any other place and time than Scotland for the most part. I like to imagine the brogue, smells, etc of the setting. I want the author to "take me there". Contextualizing in terms of place and date helps with that.

I don't think it's always necessary, but I think it's beneficial in historical novels and those about real events. If you're drawing on the climate of a certain time - like the politics, landscape, events, etc. - then you need to let your reader know what's happening. Like the post above mentioned, it's useful in Outlander because it draws on actual events in history. In some historical novels, just the general era can be enough. Giving the year does add some flavor to it though.