What is the term for the author's attitude towards the subject matter?

The correct answer is "tone" because it specifically refers to the author's attitude toward the subject matter presented in a text. Tone can convey emotions or feelings such as seriousness, humor, irony, or sadness, and it significantly influences how readers perceive the overall message and intent of the writing. Through word choice, sentence structure, and the emotional nuances embedded in the language, the tone shapes the reader's understanding and engagement with the text.

Perspective refers more to the vantage point or viewpoint from which the story is told or the subject is approached, rather than the author's attitude toward it. Voice captures the distinctive style or persona of the author in their writing, embodying their unique expression and personality. Style encompasses the overall manner in which a writer expresses ideas, including vocabulary, sentence structure, and literary devices, but it does not directly address the author's attitude like tone does. Thus, tone is the most accurate term for describing the author's attitude towards the subject matter.