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Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
The long arc of The Once and Future King contains many different moods as the story develops. In The Sword and the Stone, the mood begins as rather lighthearted. That book was originally published alone as a novel about King Arthur's boyhood, intended for young people. The stories of the childhood of Wart and Kay are fun and easygoing, and though Wart comes to some danger and stress, the tone remains quite light. The character of Merlyn, with his mystical tutoring and fantastical animal adventures, helps infuse the book with an overriding sense of wonder and magic.
Overall, the mood in The Once and Future King is a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement that the stories of King Arthur, especially as a child, are rather silly. The reader's reaction in mood, perhaps primarily, is to be pleased to be included in the joke. This abiding humor is supported by the dense use of anachronism, which is meant to undercut the seriousness of the story. The reader participates with the narrator in a good-natured ribbing of the Arthurian tale.
In the later books, the mood becomes more dramatic and romantic. Much of the middle matter of the novel is about infidelity, lust, and marriages. These books, while still adapted from the reference work of Sir Thomas Malory and other medieval writers, were not written for young people like The Sword in the Stone. There is a mood of unavoidable, mounting tragedy in The Queen of Air and Darkness and The Ill-Made Knight. It becomes increasingly clear—to the reader's growing concern—that two plot-lines are destined for disaster: the long-running infidelity of Lancelot and Guenever, and Arthur's belief that strength and might can enforce justice in the land. The continuing strain from both of these problems brings a foreboding tone of inevitability.
Lastly, in The Candle in the Wind, when many of the characters have become elderly, the stories turn psychological. The narrator turns to investigate characters for their moral goodness, and the mood becomes contemplative. The Once and Future King grows and changes over its course, as its characters mature and its conflicts become more dire. The mood changes with it, morphing from childish humor, to tragic expectation, to contemplative moralism.
