The Castle of Otranto

by Horace Walpole

The Castle of Otranto: Tone 1 key example

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
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:

The tone of The Castle of Otranto is serious, solemn and foreboding, as every event is narrated somberly and as if it is incontrovertible truth. The frosty and dour voice of Walpole's narrator is implacable and unchanging throughout the book. Its seeming refusal to be provoked into flowery description or emotional language by events of the plot contributes significantly to the novel's suspenseful atmosphere. The reader can never guess what is coming. The third-person omniscient narrator speaks didactically and formally to the reader. They suggest moralistic interpretations of the actions of characters with their use of adjectives. This moralizing is not subtle: the narrator often directly tells the reader when a character is "good" (like Father Jerome) or "cruel" (like Manfred).