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Metaphors
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 result of the unexciting setting, the characters' unhappiness, and Chekhov's realist style, the play's mood is on the whole drab and mundane. The play lacks a major climax as well as a proper resolution. As the play moves towards its ending over the course of the fourth act, the characters discuss how things will go back to how they were before. Thus, nothing really changes between the beginning and the end of the play.
Chekhov's subtitle for the play, "Scenes from Country Life in Four Acts," gives the audience a somewhat misleading idea of what the principal mood will consist of. This subtitle makes it seem like Uncle Vanya will be a lighthearted play set in a peaceful, pastoral setting. At first, the garden setting of the first act seems to reinforce this expectation in the exposition. However, Chekhov's label feels increasingly tongue-in-cheek as the play progresses, clashing with the bleak, tragic, and dramatic elements of the action and dialogue. The pastoral impression given by the label is undermined by Astrov's speeches about the local area's environmental degradation, and the peaceful impression is undermined by the characters' petty, emotional outbursts.
