English
Tone and mood.
Definition
Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject or audience, revealed through word choice and style, while mood is the emotional atmosphere a text creates for the reader. Tone is what the writer feels; mood is what the reader feels. They often align but can differ for effects like irony.
Examples
Real-world.
- 1 A horror story might have a menacing tone (author's intent to frighten) and a suspenseful mood (reader's feeling of dread)
- 2 A sarcastic tone paired with a humorous mood in a satirical essay
- 3 Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven' has a melancholy tone and a dark, oppressive mood