Atmosphere refers to the overall effect of a literary work that is created by the mood, setting, descriptions, and dialogue. For example, the first sentence of Edgar Allan Poe's story, The Fall of the House of Usher, creates an atmosphere of mystery and gloom:
"During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens..."
"During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens..."