Tone: Attitude

Tone is the verbal stance an author holds toward characters, events, or situation, reflected in his voice. The narrator and other characters can also have attitudes.
A list of tone words appears on p. 84 in the Vertical Teams Guide. Here is an additional list of tone words: satiric whimsical dramatic learned informative somber urgent confident mock-heroic objective diffident ironic petty factual restrained elegiac disdainful lugubrious candid pedantic indignant bantering flippant condescending patronizing facetious clinical mock-serious inflammatory benevolent burlesque detached cynical incisive allusive scornful effusive fanciful colloquial compassionate impartial insipid pretentious vibrant irreverent sentimental moralistic complimentary contemptuous sympathetic taunting angry turgid sardonic contentious insolent concerned

Some generalizations about literature: Authors usually devalue materialism. As a rule, authors do not value formal religion; they do, however, generally value individual reverence. Authors value mutability. Authors are rarely neutral about the carpe diem theme. Authors thinking often runs counter to their own cultural training. Authors are not only our social historians; they are also our social critics. In the conflict between the individual and society, authors normally value the individual more than the society. Most authors attack overweening pride. Most authors have a critical tone toward war.

Tone Vocabulary By Category

Readers Perception of Speaker: humble, shallow, bold, fatuous, insipid, haughty, imperious, proud, austere, audacious, confident, insecure, credulous, innocent, naive, triumphant, vivacious, insolent, sincere, inane, vain, gullible, foolish Ironic Tones: playful, witty, humorous, sarcastic, sardonic, caustic, acerbic, flippant, cynical, mocking, biting, smirking, sneering, derisive, icy Reverence: Awe, veneration Love: affection, cherish, fondness, admiration, tenderness, sentiment, romantic, platonic, adoration, narcissism, passion, lust, rapture, ecstasy, infatuated, enamor, compassion Joy: exaltation, zeal, fervor, ardor, elation, jubilant, buoyancy Happiness: glad, pleased, merry, glee, delight, cheerful, gay, sanguine, mirth, enjoy, relish, bliss Calm: serene, tranquil, placid, content Hope: expect, anticipate, trust Sadness: somber, solemn, melancholy, sorrow, lament, despair, despondent, regret, dismal, funereal, saturnine, dark, gloomy, dejection, grave, grief, morose, sullen, woe, bleak, remorse, forlorn, disconsolate, distress, agony, anguish, depression, misery, barren, empty, pity Anger: Vehement, enraged, rage, outrage, antipathy, irritation, indignant, vexation, incensed, petulant, irascible, riled, bitter, acrimony, irate, fury, wrath, rancor, consternation, hostility, miffed, choleric, frustration, exasperation, aggravation, futility, umbrage, gall, bristle

Hate: vengeance, detest, abhorrence, animosity, enmity, malice, pique, rancor, aversion, loathing, despise, scorn, contempt, disdain, jealousy, repugnance, repulsion, resentment, spite, disgust Fear: timidity, apprehension, anxiety, terror, horror, dismay, agitation, sinister, alarm, startle, uneasy, qualms, angst, trepidation, intimidation, spooky, dread, phobia, appalled

Description of Tone
Tone is most often described as an authors attitude toward a subject, either stated/explicit or implied/implicit: Admiration Ambivalence Anxiety Apathy, calculated indifference; amused boredom Disbelief Disdain, veiled distain, masked distain Exasperation Nostalgia Puzzlement Skepticism Delight; unmitigated delight Anger; growing anger Approval; reluctant approval Condescension; mild condescension Distaste; veiled distaste; clear distaste Embarrassment; apologetic embarrassment Cold objectivity Detached sympathy Satisfied curiosity Righteous indignation Amused affection Concealed intolerance; blatant intolerance Vigorous denunciation Tone is also used to name an overall impression created: Aggressive; argumentative Dogmatic Conciliatory; apologetic; acquiescent Amiable Honest; straightforward Humble, deferring Objective Reflective Indifferent Inquisitive Inspirational; enthusiastic; hopeful Instructional; didactic; explanatory Scholarly Ironic Sensationalized; melodramatic Pleading; apprehensive; despairing; urgent Callous; contemptuous Prudent; cautious Disdainful; condescending Reverent; awe-filled Self-pitying Irrational

Tone and Mood Tone: The attitude the writer takes toward the subject, the characters, or the reader/the audience. Tone is the overall effect created by diction, dialogue, conflicts and resolution, imagery, etc. Usually how you feel toward the subject/character is how the author feels. Tone is the result of all the other techniques. Mood: The overall atmosphere of the work Questions to discover tone or mood: How strongly do you respond to the work? What attitudes can you identify and characterize? What elements in the story elicit your concern, indignation, fearfulness, anguish, amusement or sense of affirmation? What causes you to sympathize or not to sympathize with characters, situations or ideas? What makes the circumstances in the work admirable or understandable (or deplorable)? In fiction and drama, what does the dialogue suggest about the authors attitude toward the characters? How does it influence your attitude? What qualities of diction permit and encourage your response? To what degree, if any, does the work supersede any previous ideas you might have had about the same or similar subject? What do you think changed your attitude? What role does the narrator/speaker play in your attitude toward the dramatic or fictional material? Does the speaker seem intelligent/stupid, friendly/unfriendly, sane/insane or realistic/pragmatic? In an amusing or comic story, what elements of plot, character, and diction are particularly comic? How strongly do you respond to humor-producing situations? Why? What ironies do you find in the work (verbal, situational, cosmic)? How is the irony connected to philosophies of marriage, family, society, politics, religion or morality? To what extent are characters controlled by fate, social or racial discrimination, limitations of intelligence, economic and political inequality and limited opportunity? Do any words seem unusual or noteworthy, such as words in dialect, polysyllabic words or foreign words or phrases that the author assumes you know? Are there any especially connotative or emotive words? What do these words suggest about the authors apparent assumptions about the reader?