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Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Key Examples in Crime and Punishment
Part 2, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis:
One of the chief characteristics of Crime and Punishment is its tense, anxious, and tormented mood. Even before the murder of the pawnbroker and her sister, Raskolnikov is a high-strung and angry young man who appears ready to snap. During and after the murder, a strong sense of tension dominates the mood of the novel, as Raskolnikov is agonized by the threat of exposure and the shame or harm that might come to his sister and mother. This tense, nervous atmosphere is exemplified in a scene in which Raskolnikov is called to the police station:
A dark sensation of tormenting, infinite solitude and estrangement suddenly rose to consciousness in his soul. It was not the abjectness of his heart’s outpourings before Ilya Petrovich, nor the abjectness of the lieutenant’s triumph over him, that suddenly so overturned his heart. Oh, what did he care now about his own meanness, about all these vanities, lieutenants, German women, proceedings, offices, and so on and so forth!. What was taking place in him was totally unfamiliar, new, sudden, never before experienced.
Related Themes:
