Nature

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nature: Mood 1 key example

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:

Nature is supposed to invoke a mood of awe. Emerson, by using a reverent tone and poetic style, intends for the essay to inspire a well of gratitude for nature in the reader. 

This sublime feeling that Emerson intends to inspire is meant to make the reader’s woes seem small. The sublime is a concept in literature and aesthetic philosophy that refers to the quality of greatness—greatness in size, beauty, or anything else—that inspires immense awe. In literature, the sublime frequently appears in relation to nature, oftentimes in association with things that make humans feel small by comparison. Romantic authors like Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth frequently invoked the concept in the late 18th century.