Which of the following best defines mood in literature?

• A. The feelings the author creates in the reader, or how the reader feels.
• B. The author's feelings or attitude towards his subject.
• C. Words used to convey the tone and mood.
• D. The dictionary definition of a word.

Answer: (A)

Mood in literature is the atmosphere or emotion that the text evokes in the reader. It’s about how the writing makes you feel—tense, eerie, hopeful, peaceful—created through details like setting, imagery, and word choice. The best definition here describes mood as the feelings the reader experiences, because mood is a reader-centered effect produced by the writing, not the author’s own emotions or attitudes. The other ideas mix up what mood is with tone (the author's attitude toward the subject) or with the language used to express ideas, or with the dictionary meaning of words, which aren’t mood itself. So, the option that focuses on the reader’s emotional response to the text is the correct one.