Mood is the atmosphere or feeling created in the reader by a work of literature through elements like setting and diction. Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject, shown through stylistic choices like word choice, syntax, and imagery. Mood describes the reader's feelings, while tone reflects the author's perspective. The terms are often confused even by professionals, so it is important to understand that when noting "tone words" from books, one is actually identifying words that contribute to the overall mood.

1. TONE AND MOOD
LITERARY TERM REVIEW

2. WHAT IS MOOD IN LITERATURE?

3. MOOD
• THE FEELING OR ATMOSPHERE THAT IS
CREATED BY A WORK
• THE WAY A PIECE OF LITERATURE MAKES
THE READER FEEL
• MOOD IS GENERALLY CREATED THROUGH
SETTING AND DICTION
Your
feelings as
you read

4. WHAT IS TONE IN LITERATURE?
HINT: THINK ABOUT TONE OF VOICE

5. TONE
• TONE IS THE AUTHOR’S ATTITUDE
TOWARD HIS OR HER SUBJECT
• TONE IS DETERMINED THROUGH
DICTION, SYNTAX (GRAMMATICAL
ARRANGEMENT OF WORDS FOR
EFFECT), IMAGERY, OR OTHER
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

6. TONE AND MOOD ARE FREQUENTLY
CONFUSED
EVEN BY THE PROS

7. N
O
V
E
L
I
S
T
Oops, what
we really
mean is
mood

8. WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS?
• SO, WHEN YOU’RE IN THE LIBRARY RECORDING “TONE”
WORDS FOR YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS, YOU UNDERSTAND
THAT WHAT YOU’RE REALLY WRITING DOWN ARE MOOD
WORDS.

9. DIRECTIONS
• STOP AT SANTA ON THE BRIDGE FOR 5 MINUTES.
• MAKE SURE YOU’RE A PART OF OUR CLASS PHOTO!
• BRING ALL YOUR STUFF WITH YOU.
• GO TO THE LIBRARY FROM THE BRIDGE. MS. KNAZE WILL
GIVE DIRECTIONS ONCE YOU ARRIVE.