Lewis Caroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has a whimsical, lighthearted, and often cheerful mood. It uses a combination of fantastical imagery, a famously "curious" setting, and lighthearted language to set the mood.
In this passage, for instance, the narrator's description of the giant caterpillar makes it seem as though nothing at all were out of the ordinary about the scene, contributing to the book's overall whimsical mood:. She stretched herself up on tiptoe, and peeped over the edge of the mushroom, and her eyes immediately met those of a large caterpillar, that was sitting on the top with its arms folded, quietly smoking a long hookah, and taking not the smallest notice of her or of anything else.
Even in her moments of discouragement, Alice manages to find a sense of wonderment in her surroundings:. I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole—and yet—and yet—it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life!
You could even say that, since the book's protagonist is a young child and the reader experiences much of the story through her eyes, the overall mood is "innocent" or "childlike.
Not only does Alice experience these emotions—but, by extension, many readers do, too. Tennyson's famous poem is an excellent example of a work that establishes its mood quickly and effectively using just setting and diction. The poem begins:. It little profits that an idle king, By this still hearth, among these barren crags, Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole Unequal laws unto a savage race, That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.
The mood of the poem is gloomy, melancholic, and reflective—which is reflected both in the poem's setting still hearth, barren crags as well as the poet's choice of words the speaker describes himself as "idle," his wife as "aged," and his subjects as a "savage race" of hoarding strangers.
The poem is written from the perspective of a hero reflecting on his life in old age, so the mood helps readers to have a similar emotional experience to the one the speaker seems to be having. Every piece of writing has a mood, but writers can use moods to achieve vastly different effects in their writing. In general, mood serves the following functions in literature:.
Mood Definition. Mood Examples. Mood Function. Mood Resources. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts.
The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of every Shakespeare play. Sign Up. Already have an account? Sign in. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Literature Poetry Lit Terms Shakescleare. Download this entire guide PDF. Teachers and parents! Struggling with distance learning? Our Teacher Editions can help. Mood Definition What is mood? Some additional key details about mood: Every piece of writing has a mood—whether it's a masterwork of literature or a short haiku.
A particular setting will help an author to create a particular mood. For example, an uninhabited, dilapidated house in an empty forest might be one setting. An author is going to use descriptive and sensory language to create that setting. The way that the audience feels as a result of that setting is mood. Tone can also help an author create mood. If an author writes using a distant and withdrawn tone, his audience will feel a certain way—perhaps cold and neglected.
On the other hand, if an author writes in a witty tone, he might create a jovial and lighthearted mood. Diction is perhaps the key player to creating mood. Each word an author selects should further communicate the mood he wants to create.
This involves any narration or dialogue, as well. For example, it would be very strange for the author trying to create a dreary mood to have an exclamation of excitement in his dialogue. Each word choice should reinforce the mood the author wants to achieve. If a group of students gets to go on a fun field trip for the day instead of sitting in the classroom, the mood can be described as excited or elated. Descriptive writing can be used to set the mood of a place.
When describing a place, you will want to add plenty of detail and use vivid words. For example, if writing about a beach use words such as salty sea air, gentle breeze, soft sand, lapping waves or warm sun rays. The mood set for this beach is calm and peaceful. When referring to a period of time or specific era, moods can be used to set the scene.
Use words that describe how people felt during the time and reflect on how they lived their lives. People lost their jobs, went hungry and experienced a wide range of emotions. Words such as frightened, panicked and depressed are commonly used to describe people's moods during this time. In literature, mood is the feeling created in the reader. This feeling is the result of both the tone and atmosphere of the story. The author's attitude or approach to a character or situation is the tone of a story and the tone sets the mood of the story.
Atmosphere is the feeling created by mood and tone. The atmosphere takes the reader to where the story is happening and lets them experience it much like the characters. Cheerful : This light-hearted, happy mood is shown with descriptions of laughter, upbeat song, delicious smells, and bright colors.
A cheerful mood fills you with joy and happiness. Travers in Mary Poppins creates a cheerful mood throughout the story by using silly words, such as "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," taking the reader on wild adventures with the children and filling the pages of the book with scenes that make you laugh out loud. Humorous : This mood is silly and sometimes ridiculous.
0コメント