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:

satiricpedanticcolloquial

whimsicalindignant compassionate

dramaticbanteringimpartial

learnedflippantinsipid

informativecondescendingpretentious

somberpatronizingvibrant

urgentfacetiousirreverent

confidentclinicalsentimental

mock-heroicmock-seriousmoralistic

objectiveinflammatorycomplimentary

diffidentbenevolentcontemptuous

ironicburlesquesympathetic

pettydetachedtaunting

factualcynicalangry

restrainedincisiveturgid

elegiacallusivesardonic

disdainfulscornfulcontentious

lugubriouseffusiveinsolent

candidfancifulconcerned

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

Reader’s 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 author’s 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 author’s 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 author’s apparent assumptions about the reader?