上海交通大学：《20世纪英美短篇小说选读》教学资源_tone（1）

【6.1】 TONE:ATTITUDE AND CONTROL IN FICTION Tone refers to the method by which writers convey attitudes,although the discussion of tone sometimes becomes focused on the attitudes themselves.For this reason,tone and attitude are often confused.We should remember,however,that tone refers not to attitude but to these techniques and modes of presentation that reveal or create these attitudes. In literary study the word tone has been borrowed from the phrase tone of voice Tone of voice in speech is a reflection of our control over our attitude toward whomever we are addressing and toward the subject matter.It is made up of many elements in addition to what we actually say:the speed with which we speak,the amount of enthusiasm we project into our thoughts,the pitch and loudness of our speech,our facial expressions,the way we hold our body,and our distance from the person to whom we are speaking.All these elements of speech we have been learning to identify and respond to from early childhood.For example,a mother can tell her child to "come here"in a manner that is angry,threatening,concerned,amused, sympathetic,or affectionate,simply by altering her tone of voice.In each case,the mother's meaning is the same---she wants her child to come to her.However,the relationship she creates with her auditor(the child)will differ dramatically according to her tone.Tone,then,is a means of creating a relationship or conveying an attitude The particular qualities of a speaking voice are unavailable to a writer in creating tone, but to a certain extent rhythm and punctuation can substitute for a speaker's accent and inflection;word order and word choice an influence one as easily in prose as in speech. Just as the tone of the mother's voice communicates her attitude of anger or concern,so tone in fiction is frequently a guide to an author's attitude toward the subject or audience and to his or her intention and meaning.As critics we infer the

【6.1】 TONE: ATTITUDE AND CONTROL IN FICTION Tone refers to the method by which writers convey attitudes, although the discussion of tone sometimes becomes focused on the attitudes themselves. For this reason, tone and attitude are often confused. We should remember, however, that tone refers not to attitude but to these techniques and modes of presentation that reveal or create these attitudes. In literary study the word tone has been borrowed from the phrase tone of voice. Tone of voice in speech is a reflection of our control over our attitude toward whomever we are addressing and toward the subject matter. It is made up of many elements in addition to what we actually say: the speed with which we speak, the amount of enthusiasm we project into our thoughts, the pitch and loudness of our speech, our facial expressions, the way we hold our body, and our distance from the person to whom we are speaking. All these elements of speech we have been learning to identify and respond to from early childhood. For example, a mother can tell her child to “come here” in a manner that is angry, threatening, concerned, amused, sympathetic, or affectionate, simply by altering her tone of voice. In each case, the mother’s meaning is the same---she wants her child to come to her. However, the relationship she creates with her auditor (the child) will differ dramatically according to her tone. Tone, then, is a means of creating a relationship or conveying an attitude. The particular qualities of a speaking voice are unavailable to a writer in creating tone, but to a certain extent rhythm and punctuation can substitute for a speaker’s accent and inflection; word order and word choice an influence one as easily in prose as in speech. Just as the tone of the mother’s voice communicates her attitude of anger or concern, so tone in fiction is frequently a guide to an author’s attitude toward the subject or audience and to his or her intention and meaning. As critics we infer the

author's tone through close and careful study of the various elements within the work, including plot,character,setting,point of view,and style.No matter how hard an author tries to mask his or her attitudes and feelings,and to hide his or her presence within the work,perhaps by taking refuge somewhere behind the narrative voice that tells the story,the author's tone can be inferred by the choices he or she makes in the process of ordering and presenting the material;by what is included and emphasized and what,by contrast,is omitted.The literary critic learns to look at such choices carefully---at the characters,incidents,setting,and details depicted;at the issues and problems that are raised and explored;at the style the author has employed;at every decision,in short,that the author has made---to infer from them the underlying attitudes and tone that color and control the work as a whole

author’s tone through close and careful study of the various elements within the work, including plot, character, setting, point of view, and style. No matter how hard an author tries to mask his or her attitudes and feelings, and to hide his or her presence within the work, perhaps by taking refuge somewhere behind the narrative voice that tells the story, the author’s tone can be inferred by the choices he or she makes in the process of ordering and presenting the material; by what is included and emphasized and what, by contrast, is omitted. The literary critic learns to look at such choices carefully---at the characters, incidents, setting, and details depicted; at the issues and problems that are raised and explored; at the style the author has employed; at every decision, in short, that the author has made---to infer from them the underlying attitudes and tone that color and control the work as a whole