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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
Key Examples in The Fisherman and His Soul
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of “The Fisherman and His Soul” vacillates between empathetic and cavalier. While Wilde (via the narrator) often earnestly shows empathy for his characters—capturing their suffering and joys alike in rich language—there are also moments in which this more emotional tone disappears. Take the following passage, for example, which comes after the Soul has successfully tempted the Fisherman to commit cruel acts against innocent people:
So they entered in and passed through the streets, and as they passed through the Street of the Sellers of Sandals, the young Fisherman saw a child standing by a jar of water. And his Soul said to him, “Smite that child.” So he smote the child till it wept, and when he had done this they went hurriedly out of the city.
Related Themes:
