4 Examples of Tone Words in Literature

Understanding examples of tone words of literature is crucial for appreciating its full depth and meaning. The tone reflects the author’s attitude toward the subject and the audience, shaping the reader’s experience and interpretation of the text.

Whether it’s the somber, reflective tone of a tragic novel or the light, playful tone of a comedic short story, the tone can profoundly influence the emotional impact and thematic resonance of the narrative. In this article, we will explore various examples of tone in literature, examining how authors utilize this literary device to enhance their storytelling and engage readers on multiple levels.

From the biting sarcasm of satirical works to the earnest sincerity of inspirational prose, we will delve into a diverse array of tones that illustrate the richness and complexity of literary expression. (Examples of Tone in Literature)

Short Note on Ballad

A ballad is a short narrative poem that ordinarily employs a stanza of four lines, with only the second and fourth lines rhyming. Ballads typically tell stories of unhappy love affairs, domestic tragedies, especially family feuds and murders, and of popular outlaws and rebels. They also tell stories of historical events like battles, shipwrecks, and mine disasters, and sometimes of occupational heroes.

Ballads are of three types: The folk ballad, the broadside ballad, and the literary or art ballad. The folk ballad is one of the earliest forms of literature. It is composed anonymously and transmitted orally from generation to generation. It was originally meant for singing or reciting. Folk ballads have been set down in writing only in fairly recent times.

Certain characteristics are common: dealing with common people, use of repetition, simple language, and pronounced rhythm. F.J. Child’s English supernatural, use of dialogue, emphasis on action, use of refrain and Scottish Popular Ballads, and B.H. Bronson’s The Traditional Tunes of the Child. (Examples of Tone in Literature)

Ballads are famous for a current event and are sung to a well-known tune. A broadside ballad is printed on one side of a single sheet. It deals with polished artful and elevated language. Well-known authors write Keats’s “La Belle Dame Sans Literary ballads. So, they are more Merci” and Coleridge’s “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” is a famous ballad of this type.

Short Note on Satire

Dr. Johnson defines satire as a poem “in which wickedness or folly is censured.” However, Swift’s definition of satire is one of the most famous, everybody’s face but their own, which is the chief reason for that kind of He said, “Satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.” (Examples of Tone in Literature)

Abrams defines satire in the following terms: “Satire is the literary art of diminishing a subject by making it ridiculous and evoking towards it attitudes to amusement, contempt, indignation or scorn”. (Examples of Tone in Literature) It differs from the comic in that comedy evokes laughter as an end in itself, while satire derides. It also differs from invective which is direct denunciation and name-calling, and mere insult in the sharp wit of its presentation.

Irony is the chief device of satire. In the mock-heroic, which is a form of satire, trivial situations, and characters are satirized by being treated in a lofty or heroic manner. Other satiric devices are sarcasm, innuendo, burlesque, parody, and caricature.

Satire can be formal or indirect. In formal satire, the author, or the persona, speaks in the first person directly to the reader, or sometimes to a character who responds. In indirect satire, the satirist creates a story or play peopled with characters who appear to be the targets of satire. One form of indirect satire is Menippean satire which deals with mental attitudes rather than people.

Satire may also be classified as Horatian or Juvenalian satire. Horatian satire is gentle, amused, mild, and corrective. Juvenalian satire is harsh, bitter, biting, and full of moral indignation and contempt.

The purpose of satire is to ridicule frailties in human customs and institutions, and by causing laughter, to inspire their reform. (Examples of Tone in Literature)

Satire existed in the early classical literature of Greece and Rome. Gulliver’s Travels of Swift and Absalom and Achitophel of Dryden are famous satires.

Short Note on Central Theme

The central theme of a literary work refers to its main idea, core message, or predominant concept that the author develops throughout the text. It is the basic message or insight that the author wants to convey to the reader. The central theme often reflects the author’s views on human nature, society, morality, or other significant aspects of life.

For example, in George Orwell’s novel “1984,” the central theme is the dangers of totalitarianism and the loss of individual freedom in a dystopian society. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the central theme explores themes of racial injustice, moral growth, and the loss of innocence. In Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet,” the central theme is the complexities of human nature, including themes of revenge, madness, and mortality.

Identifying the central theme is essential for understanding the deeper meaning of a literary work. It allows readers and viewers to engage critically with the work and appreciate its artistic and literary merits. (Examples of Tone in Literature)

Examples of Tone in Literature

The tone of a literary text refers to the author’s attitude or emotional disposition towards the subject matter or audience. It sets the overall mood of the writing. Tone can vary widely depending on the author’s purpose, the genre of the text, and the intended audience. Some common tones in literature include: Formal: The language is structured, precise, and adheres to conventional grammar and vocabulary. This tone is used in academic writing, technical manuals, or formal letters.

Informal: The language is relaxed, and conversational, and may include colloquial expressions. This tone is common in personal narratives, casual conversations, or some types of fiction. (Examples of Tone in Literature)

Serious: A serious tone conveys a sense of gravity, solemnity, or importance. It can be found in philosophical essays, historical accounts of tragedies, or emotionally charged poetry.

Humorous: The tone is light-hearted, witty, or playful, aiming to entertain and amuse the audience. It can be found in comedy, satire, or humorous essays. Sarcastic: The tone is mocking, or ironic, often expressing disdain towards the subject matter. It can be found in satire, social commentary, or certain types of humor.

Melancholic: The tone evokes a sense of sadness or longing. It can be found in elegies, introspective poetry, or literature exploring themes of loss or solitude. (Examples of Tone in Literature)

Hopeful: The tone is optimistic or encouraging, conveying a sense of possibility. It can be found in inspirational speeches, motivational literature, or narratives of overcoming adversity.

These are just a few examples of the many tones that authors can employ to convey their intended message. The tone of a literary text can greatly shape its meaning and impact on the audience.

Short Note on Narrative

In literary text, a narrative refers to the story or account of events, experiences, or actions presented by a narrator. It contains the sequence of events, characters, setting, plot, and themes that constitute a coherent storyline. Narratives can take various forms, including novels, short stories, poems, plays, and even non-fiction works. Key elements of a narrative include: polio

Plot: The sequence of events that unfold in the story, including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Characters: The individuals that drive the story forward through their actions, dialogue, and interactions. (Examples of Tone in Literature)

Setting: The time and place in which the events of the story occur, Point of View: The perspective from which the story is narrated, whether can include physical, social, cultural, or historical contexts. it is first-person (the narrator participates in the events), third-person limited (the narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of one character), third-person omniscient (the narrator knows all characters’ thoughts and feelings), or other variations.

Theme: The central idea or message conveyed by the narrative, which often explores universal truths about human nature, society, or life. Tone and Style: The author’s voice and writing style, including the use of language, imagery, symbolism, and figurative language to create a specific mood or atmosphere.

Narrative in literary text serves to engage readers, evoke emotions, convey meaning, and explore universal truths about the human experience. It is a fundamental aspect of storytelling that shapes the reader’s understanding and interpretation of the text.

Short Note on Poetry

Poetry is a composition consisting of a series or collection of poems that evoke emotion and imagination through the use of vivid, intense language, usually arranged in a pattern of words or lines with a regularly repeated accent or stress. It is collective, its singular is a poem. The poets of each generation and their interpreters have had their own definition of poetry, their own sense of what poetry is and what poetry does:

Poetry is “a speaking picture with this end to teach and delight.”- Sir Philip Sidney. Poetry is “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquillity.” William Wordsworth. Poetry is “a criticism of life.”- Matthew Arnold. “Poetry is not an assertion of truth, but the making of that truth more fully real to us.”-T.S. Eliot.

Short Note on Drama/Play

Drama is a serious literary work usually intended for performance before an audience. It is a literary form designed for the theatre, in which the representation is by actors who impersonate the characters and perform the action and dialogue. (Examples of Tone in Literature)

In Poetic Drama, the dialogue is written in verse instead of prose. Comedy, Tragedy, Chronicle plays, Masque, Miracle, and Morality plays are dramatic species; Act, atmosphere, chorus, plot and character, setting, soliloquy, dramatic illusion, stock characters are dramatic components; Expressionism, Realism, and Nationalism and Symbol are dramatic styles.

Although play is often used as a synonym for drama, the two terms differ slightly in meaning. A play is a drama intended for performance before a theatrical audience.

Thus, although all plays are dramas, not all dramas are plays because some dramas (for example, closet dramas) are meant not to be performed but rather to be read as poems, these types of dramas are not plays. The word drama may also be used in a narrower sense to refer to a serious play, movie, or television show. (Examples of Tone in Literature)

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