What is mood in a novel?

Question

While reading I have to take notes of setting that contribute to MOOD. I don't know what mood is...how can you tell?

Also, can you give me an example?

THANKS

Thanks John...I was reading a novel for my Honors English class but my teacher said I wasn't identifying enough moods.

Yeah, and I read Masque of the Red Death last year, I loved the symbolism in it:-)

Answer 1

I wonder why some answerer's don't give their sources. The source for the fist answerer's answer is given below.

I'm teaching tone/mood in critical reading. Tone/mood is created by the author's style - his/her choice of words, his/her characters, settings and genre. It's closely related to the author's purpose.
Tone/mood is meant to inspire an emotional response on the part of the reader and can range from burlesque to somber. For example, the tone of a mystery/detective story is usually "suspenseful", whereas the tone of a light, entertaining work might be humorous,
One of the greatest masters of tone/mood in American writing was Edgar Allen Poe. Examine any of his stories and you'll see how his choice of vocabulary, his sentence length and his characters /settings all contribute to the tone/mood of suspense and finally of horror. "The Masque of the Red Death" is a fine example.
The same is true of his poetry, and his use of repetition and alliteration are especially effective in his verse.

Answer 2

Its how you respond to the story. Your feeling like a horror story will scare you.