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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
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of "The Demon Lover" is formal and literary, as the narrative slowly describes Mrs. Drover's trip home to collect several things she and her family left behind before fleeing London. The narrative approach is serious and observant, but it's also sly and allusive, almost treating the opening scene like the beginning of a mystery story. For instance, as Mrs. Drover tries to piece together how the letter on the hall table got there, the narrative notes:
She thought first—then the caretaker must be back. All the same, who, seeing the house shuttered, would have dropped a letter in at the box? It was not a circular, it was not a bill. And the post office redirected, to the address in the country, everything for her that came through the post. The caretaker (even if he were back) did not know she was due in London today [...].
