Previous
Style
Definition of Tone
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical... read full definition
Key Examples in Cloudstreet
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:
The narrative tone of Cloudstreet varies, but it usually matches the perspective or attitude of the central character of the scene in question. For example, the narrative voice is journalistic and withdrawn when describing Sam’s maiming, switches to being spiritual and almost reverent during Fish’s almost-drowning, and then becomes earthy and humorous during the books’ first domestic scenes involving the Pickles and Lamb families moving in together. The narrator’s shifts in tone begin to feel as chaotic as the higgledy-piggledy lives playing out in the Cloudstreet house. The whole effect creates an impression of comic disorder for the reader. The narrator does not judge these moments overtly, but does always observe them closely.
Related Themes:
