CLASS: IX - XII SUBJECT: ENGLISH TOPIC: SETTING & Tone in

Literature

SETTING AND TONE

Setting Definition
Setting is the time and place (or when and where) of the story. It’s a literary element of literature
used in novels, short stories, plays, films, etc., and usually introduced during the exposition
(beginning) of the story, along with the characters. The setting may also include the
environment of the story, which can be made up of the physical location, climate, weather, or
social and cultural surroundings.
ASPECTS OF SETTING
The setting of a story can involve a number of elements:
 The physical location: The physical realities of where the story takes place, including
geography, landscape, and other factors (urban or rural; domestic or wild; inside or out;
on earth or in space).
 Time: When does the story take place? In the past, the future, the present? What are the
particular details of that time?
 The social milieu: Setting is not just about the physical aspects. It's also about the social
world. Is the setting wealthy or poor? Homogenous or diverse? Are things improving or
getting worse?
 Change: Setting can also be affected by how it changes, either over time (the changing
seasons or the construction of a house or town or city), or suddenly (a terrible storm). The
changes that do (or don't) affect a setting are as important as the setting itself.
The more specific an author can be with their setting, the more real the story will feel and the
more the setting will start to "reach out" and affect the characters and their actions, in the same
way the world around living people affects how they act and think.
EXAMPLE OF SETTING
Example 1
A simple example to understand setting is the Disney movie “Cinderella.” The setting starts out
as
Time: Cinderella as a young girl, long ago in the past
Place: Cinderella’s home in a kingdom far away

TONE 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, and so on. For instance,
an editorial in a newspaper that described its subject as "not even having the guts to do the job
himself," has a tone that is both informal and critical.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TONE AND MOOD
The words "tone" and "mood" are often used interchangeably, but the two terms actually have
different meanings.
 Tone is the attitude or general character of a piece of writing and is often related to the
attitude of the writer or speaker.
 Mood refers specifically to the effect a piece of writing has on the reader. Mood is how a
piece of writing makes you feel.
While tone and mood are distinct literary devices, they are often closely related. For example, it
wouldn't be unusual for a poem with a somber tone to also have a somber mood—i.e., to make
the reader feel somber as well. And as we explained above, a journalist who makes a jab at a
politician might be conveying how they feel about their subject (using a critical tone) while also
trying to influence their readers to feel similarly—i.e., to create a mood of anger or outrage
TONE WORD EXAMPLE SENTENCE

His adorable new puppy explored the backyard with glee, and yes, it
wiggled around on its back like it was making snow angels in July, and yes,
Envious it was a perfectly precious thing which anyone’s hearts would have been
opened just to see, and he was very lucky to have the new puppy all to
himself.

He got a puppy. What on earth would he want a puppy for? The wretched
Dour things pee everywhere, damage the furniture, and always manage to wake
their owners up in the middle of pleasant dreams.

He got a puppy, which was mostly confusing for people, since he openly
Curious
disliked dogs. What would he want with a pet?

Maybe this new puppy would open his heart toward the world—both such
Hopeful
bruised and tender things that, perhaps, will heal with love.

He got a puppy, isn’t that adorable? Who does that anymore? So cute, so
Condescending American, like a rich but terrible father trying to win his child’s love before
a custody battle.

He got a puppy, but there’s no need to talk about it, because it’s no more
exciting than someone getting a new car horn or a bigger stereo system,
Agitated
except both of those things are probably much quieter than a new puppy is,
so just don’t bring it up.

He got a puppy, but he made a lot of mistakes along the way. First, he
never confirmed that the puppy was potty trained; second, he realized he
Educational
didn’t own the leash he thought he owned; and third, he ran out of paper
towel trying to clean up the puppy’s mess.

He got a puppy, like everyone knew he would, because he was hell-bent on

Accusatory
creating the worst living situation imaginable for everyone around him.

Well, he did just buy a puppy, but he might have a bad habit of putting his
Unsure
dogs up for adoption once they get too big.

He did what any normal, rational, totally sane, completely “in his mind”
Ironic
man would do, and bought a puppy.
Despondent Why did he have to get a puppy? There goes my healthy sleep schedule.

He got a puppy which, if you think about it, was the best way for him to
Contemplative
find motivation and love his life again.

He got a puppy. A Rough Collie, in fact. A puppy with lots of germs, really
Nervous
sharp teeth, perhaps an inclination for blood. Nothing to worry about, right?

Relieved There was no need to worry about him after he bought a puppy.

Apathetic Eh, he got a puppy. I think it was brown.

 All pieces of writing, even letters and official documents, have a tone. A neutral, official
tone is still a tone.
 The tone of a piece of writing may change over the course of a text to produce different
effects.
 Tone and mood are not the same. Tone has to do with the attitude of the author or
the person speaking, whereas mood is how the work makes the reader feel.
 The author's intentions, emotions, and personal ideas about the theme or subject matter
often reveal themselves in the piece's tone.
Here's a list of words that are commonly used to talk about tone, with examples of the types of
writing they might be used to describe:
 Lofty, soaring, elevated
o A particularly stirring campaign speech
o The Declaration of Independence
o Maya Angelou's famous poem, "Still I Rise"
 Grandiose, flowery, melodramatic
o A sappy love poem
o An over-the-top television sermon
o A wordy letter of apology
 Smug, pompous, preachy
o A know-it-all at a cocktail party
o The comments section of almost any YouTube video
 o A speech made by a boastful or proud character
 Somber, dark, serious, gloomy
o A speech at a funeral
o A murder mystery
o A novel about someone's struggles with depression
 Sarcastic, satirical, ironic
o An article in the newspaper The Onion
o A work of parody like Don Quixote
o A satire, like many skits on SNL
 Humorous, witty, goofy
o A stand-up comedy routine
o A play like Shakespeare's As You Like It
o A TV show like Seinfeld or Friends
 Lighthearted, cheerful, optimistic
o A Dr. Seuss Book
o A wedding speech
o A friendly joke
 Intellectual, analytical, critical
o An essay you'd write for school
o A dense work of political theory
o An article analyzing a political event
 Dry, official, scientific, cold
o A letter from the IRS
o A scientific paper
o Instructions on how to assemble furniture

TONE in JULIUS CAESAR

The tone of Julius Caesar is serious and elevated, suggesting the audience should view the events
of the play as having lasting, wide-ranging significance. The characters take themselves very
seriously, to the point of being willing to die for their ideals. Brutus’s calm, rational explanations
for his actions maintain the tone of stately dignity even at moments of intense crisis. Although
the play ends bloodily, with many characters dead at their own hands, the characters never
become hysterical or overly emotional, maintaining the sense that their choices are political
rather than personal.
Departures from the overall high-stakes tone come across in scenes with Calpurnia. Calpurnia
begs Caesar to stay home with an equally candid air: “Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies,/Yet
now they fright me”(Act II, scene II) Through these tonal shifts, the play highlights the mistakes
of its heroes, who feel compelled to sacrifice their interior, private lives for what they believe to
be higher ideals.