Cloud Atlas

by David Mitchell

Cloud Atlas: Genre 1 key example

Genre
Explanation and Analysis:

Cloud Atlas is postmodernist novel, in that it grapples with the failings and false promises of Modernism while simultaneously eschewing traditional narrative structure. Throughout the novel, Mitchell includes various important cultural figures from the early 20th and late 19th centuries, using his characters to reflect on the legacy of modernist thought. Furthermore, Cloud Atlas interrogates modern beliefs about civilization and progress, many of which emerged at the turn of the 20th century in the face of globalization, industrialization, and expanding scientific and technological capabilities.