MYP English Lang & Lit 3.4 Narrative Tone Notes

Narrative tone

1. (or: the story’s attitude toward what’s happening)

2. Every story has a mood. But more importantly, it has an attitude.
3. That attitude is called narrative tone.
4. Tone is not what happens in the story. It’s how the story sounds while it’s happening.

1. What is narrative tone?

1. It answers questions like:
   1. Is this serious or sarcastic?
   2. Sympathetic or judgmental?
   3. Calm or tense?
   4. Detached or emotional?
2. In simple terms:

   1. Tone is how the narrator feels about what they’re telling you.

2. Why narrative tone matters

1. Tone shapes how the reader:
   1. feels about characters
   2. interprets events
   3. judges reliability
   4. experiences tension
2. The same event can feel completely different depending on tone.

3. What creates narrative tone?

1. Tone is created through:
   1. word choice
   2. sentence length and structure
   3. level of emotion
   4. description and detail
   5. what the narrator focuses on or ignores
2. Tone is rarely stated directly. It’s felt.

4. Common types of narrative tone

1. Reflective:
   1. Looking back, I realise that silence changed everything.
2. Bitter:
   1. Of course they blamed me in the end, just like they always did.
3. Humorous:
   1. I tripped, dropped my bag, and somehow managed to look surprised.
4. Tense:
   1. I held my breath as the door creaked open.
5. Detached:
   1. She left the room, and the conversation ended.
6. Regretful:
   1. I wish I had said something before it was too late.
7. Sarcastic:
   1. Oh great, this day just keeps getting better.
8. Sympathetic:
   1. He tried his best, even though the odds were never in his favour.

5. Narrative tone and narration

1. Narrative tone is closely linked to point of view.
   1. First-person narration often creates a personal, emotional tone
   2. Third-person narration can create a more distant or controlled tone
   3. Unreliable narrators often create a defensive or self-justifying tone
2. Who tells the story affects how it sounds.

6. Narrative tone and tension

1. Tone helps build tension by:
   1. making moments feel uneasy or calm
   2. signalling danger or safety
   3. showing emotional pressure

7. Narrative tone and character

1. Tone often reveals:
   1. personality
   2. emotional state
   3. bias
   4. internal conflict
2. Sometimes tone tells us more about the narrator than the events themselves.

8. How to use PEEL to analyse narrative tone

You can analyse tone using PEEL.

P: Point

1. Identify the tone.
   1. tense
   2. reflective
   3. sarcastic
   4. detached

E: Evidence

1. Use:
   1. a key word or phrase
   2. a sentence pattern
   3. a descriptive detail

E: Explain

1. Explain:
   1. how the language creates the tone
   2. what attitude the narrator shows

L: Link

1. Link to:
   1. character
   2. tension
   3. reliability
   4. theme

9. Now it's your turn...