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Irony
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:
As a mystery and a horror story, the mood of “The Landlady” is primarily eerie and unsettling. While the story starts out on a lighthearted note, it quickly shifts into a haunting register after Billy decides to stay the night at a cozy (yet empty) bed and breakfast run by a woman with a kind (yet unnerving) presence. The following passage—which comes as the landlady is showing Billy his room—captures the eerie and haunting mood:
“[I]t is such a pleasure, my dear, such a very great pleasure when now and again I open the door and I see someone standing there who is just exactly right.” She was halfway up the stairs, and she paused with one hand on the stair rail, turning her head and smiling down at him with pale lips. “Like you,” she added, and her blue eyes traveled slowly all the way down the length of Billy’s body, to his feet, and then up again.
Here the landlady ominously tells Billy that, when it comes to people she is interested in hosting, he is “exactly right.” The unnerving mood continues as she smiles at him “with pale lips” and then slowly directs her gaze “all the way down the length of Billy’s body, to his feet, and then up again.” Though Billy does not think much of this moment (as he refuses to see her as anything other than a kindly older woman), readers can sense that the landlady is interested in Billy for more than his money. The haunting nature of the story increases as it becomes clear that the landlady's plan is to poison Billy and stuff him, preserving his youthful innocence in time.
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