What does "tone" refer to in literature?

In literature, "tone" specifically refers to the author's attitude toward the subject matter and the audience. This attitude is conveyed through word choice, sentence structure, and stylistic elements, creating an emotional landscape that affects how the reader perceives the text. For example, a tone can range from formal to informal, or from optimistic to cynical, all of which shape the reader's understanding and emotional response to the content.

This concept is distinct from how pace and rhythm influence the flow of writing, which would not constitute tone but rather elements of style. While the author's style and voice encompass tone, they also include various aspects of their overall writing technique, which is broader. Furthermore, the emotional response of the readers is influenced by tone, but it does not define what tone itself is; instead, it is an effect of how tone is rendered in the work. Thus, recognizing tone as the author's attitude helps in understanding deeper layers of meaning within a literary piece.