Blog #8- Tone/Mood

An important part of any work of literature, tone and mood serve to shape our whole perception of a character.  The reaction a character has is not only expressed by what he says, but also, through the tone he uses.  From this we learn more about the character, the sarcasm, anger, or sincerity in his voice painting a picture of what he is like emotionally.  Mood serves to set the general feeling for the novel, and from there, the mood expressed through the setting, objects, imagery, and word choices.  Another feature of mood is the background for the novel it creates from which we draw the context and we are able to put the story in perspective.

Blog #7- Diction

Each author has their own specific type of diction.  This diction is used to input an exact meaning into a sentence or a phrase by the author.  The authors's diction can shape tone by switching the tone from informal to formal as to introduce different characters and/or their status levels.  With imagery, the diction decides  the metaphors and use of figurative language that affects the readers ability to picture the story.  Finally, a stories sound is affected by diction when the different words the author choses words based also on the sound they make as to enhance the meaning further examples being assonance and sibilance.  The diction choices that the author makes, in this sense, dictate the word choices they make and from this, affect the tone, sound, and imagery.

Blog #3- Setting

For all the action that goes on and the conflicts that arise in almost any novel, the setting is what provided the environment and background that influenced each character's decisions.  Setting is the time period, location of the story, and everything inside where the story happens.  In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the setting of a rural England in the 19th century provides the background from which the stories characters their attitude and development of on one hand the lower country folk and the affluent city folk.  This setting drives the conflict such as with the snootiness of the Bingley sisters and also provides the conflict of the marriage of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth in terms of social classes.