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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 Secret Garden
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:
The novel swings between a bright, sentimental, and excited tone when the narrator is describing the friendship and love growing between the inhabitants of Misselthwaite Manor, to a dark, mysterious, and Gothic tone in more somber moments. The tone of the novel grows gradually less dusky and serious as the personalities of the characters become more open, happy and free. At the beginning of the book, the tone is so mysterious and sober that it is almost frightening. By the end, it's so joyful and full of energy that it seems almost like a different novel.
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—A Marred Child:
Burnett uses Yorkshire idioms in several places in The Secret Garden to denote the response the people of Misselthwaite Manor and its surrounding area have to Mary Lennox. Using local idiom in this way allows the reader a glimpse into the mindset of the Yorkshire characters and allows the author to lend a bit of local color to interactions as small as thoughts. When Mrs. Medlock is bringing Mary home to the manor for the first time, she observes her discontentedly and makes use of the word "marred," which is a Yorkshire term that means spoiled and pettish:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Mary sat in her corner of the railway carriage and looked plain and fretful. Her black dress made her look yellower than ever, and her limp light hair straggled from under her black crêpe hat. “A more marred-looking young one I never saw in my life,” Mrs. Medlock thought.
Related Themes:
