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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 narrator's tone is erudite and thoughtful, highbrow and condescending. The narrator looks down on essentially all the characters in the novel, seeing them for what they are: vapid and immoral and wanton. The narrator's critical tone comes down most strongly on Undine. The novel presents Undine's qualities ironically, depicting her with tongue-in-cheek descriptions.
The particular object of the narrator's ironic tone is Undine's reckless and ever-changing desires and ambitions. The narrator understands her qualities more deeply than Undine can, for example: "Undine was fiercely independent and yet passionately imitative. She wanted to surprise every one by her dash and originality, but she could not help modeling herself on the last person she met." The narrator uses this condescending tone with Undine throughout the novel. This narrative tone presents the characters ironically, both to make humor and to satirize Fifth Avenue society. Despite their wealth and social status, the narrator still shrewdly judges their flaws. The exception to this tone is the case of Ralph. The narrator has a sort of pitiful sympathy for Ralph. He is presented as overly emotional and silly and yet a good father and an altogether good husband. He is perhaps the exception to the novel's general cynicism. In general, the novel's tone is satirical, parodic, and humorous, making jokes at the expense of Fifth Avenue society in general and Undine in particular. The tone depicts Undine's many relationships as the regrettable result of her childish qualities.
