Tone in literature refers to the author's attitude toward a certain subject. Through specific word choice, the author reveals his feelings and opinions to the reader, conveying the author's intentions. Learn to identify and interpret tone in literature, the attitude that a character, narrator, or author takes toward a given subject. See how tone can be used. Tone is the author's or narrator's attitude toward the subject or audience, conveyed through language and style. Learn how tone can create, learn the definition of tone and mood in literature, explore the techniques used to convey them in writing, and find examples of mood and tone in literary works. Updated: Table of Contents Learn why leading organizations rely on MasterClass for learning amp development. Although the literary terms "tone and mood" may seem interchangeable, they are not synonymous. In literature, the tone of a piece of writing reflects the attitude of the author or narrator. According to the online etymology dictionary, the word tone comes from the Latin tonus and the Greek word tonos, which means "vocal tone, raising of the voice, accent, key in music." It makes sense that a word describing voice pitch evolved. When it comes to literature, tone describes the attitude of the author. Tone is one of the most complex literary terms to understand, and it is the easiest to experience on the page. The tone of a book is.