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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
Part 4: Book 12, Chapter 1: The Fatal Day
Explanation and Analysis:
In The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky employs a notably conversational tone. This tone, marked by digressions and even occasional apologies from the narrator, emphasizes the narrator’s role, as can be seen in the narrator’s introduction of Dmitri’s trial:
I will say beforehand, and say emphatically, that I am far from considering myself capable of recounting all that took place in court, not only with the proper fullness, but even in the proper order. I keep thinking that if one were to recall everything and explain everything as one ought, it would fill a whole book, even quite a large one. Therefore let no one lament if I tell only that which struck me personally and which I have especially remembered. I may have taken secondary things for the most important, and even overlooked the most prominent and necessary features.
Here, the narrator calls attention to the task of storytelling. Though the narrator is not presented as a character in the action of the story, they nevertheless speak as someone who lives in the district where the events transpired and who is familiar with some of the parties involved. Here, the narrator apologizes for their inability to accurately remember “all that took place in court,” instead focusing only on those details that “struck” them “personally.” Throughout the novel, the narrator does not write as a neutral or external observer, but rather calls attention to their own presence.
