How does authorial choice influence mood and tone?

• A. Mood is the narrator's mood, tone is the reader's response.
• B. Authorial choice affects only plot, not mood or tone.
• C. Word choice, imagery, syntax, and figurative language convey attitude; tone is the author's attitude, mood is the reader's emotional response.
• D. Tone and mood are interchangeable terms with no distinction.

Answer: (C)

Authorial choices such as word choice, imagery, syntax, and figurative language shape the attitude the author shows toward the subject, which in turn sets the tone. The mood is the reader’s emotional response to the text, created by that tone and the way details are presented. So, the tone reflects the author’s stance or attitude, while the mood reflects how the text makes the reader feel. For example, harsh diction and clipped sentences can create a critical or urgent tone, and that combination can make the reader feel tense or unsettled.

That’s why mood isn’t the narrator’s mood, and it’s not simply a reaction from the reader in isolation—the mood emerges from the author’s word choices and stylistic decisions. Authorial choices influence more than just plot, and tone and mood are distinct: tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject, mood is the reader’s emotional atmosphere as they experience the text.