O Pioneers!
by Willa Cather

O Pioneers!: Mood 1 key example

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 O Pioneers!

Part 5, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis:

The mood of the novel is at once gloomy and cautiously optimistic. A disproportionate amount of the book is set during the winter or fall, and the narrator emphasizes the harsh seasonal conditions. For instance, Part 5, Chapter 1 opens on Ivar mending a harness by lantern light on an unseasonably dark afternoon:

It was only five o’clock of a mid-October day, but a storm had come up in the afternoon, bringing black clouds, a cold wind and torrents of rain.