The Switch Between Literary Genres in Cloud Atlas

"Power, time, gravity, love. The forces that really kick ass are all invisible." (396). Like power, time, gravity, and love, genre is also an invisible ass-kicker. David Mitchell's post- modern masterpiece, Cloud Atlas, is broken down into sections that focus on a distinct storyline. However, it is not just a switch of plot and characters, but also a change in the time period and genre from story to story. Cloud Atlas, though divided in structure, is united and whole. It showcases the story of the world through literary genres.

There has been a clear evolution of genre throughout the years in literary works. Most time periods are linked with specific genres that were popular amongst readers. For instance, one of the first real novel genres that ever emerged in written form was the travel journal or log. These were popular for centuries as the European countries were expanding. Many men would document in great detail the events that occurred on their expeditions throughout the world. This is most likely the reasoning for Mitchell placing Adam Ewing's travel log as the first story in the novel. "Travel far enough, you meet yourself." (320).

Chronologically, Ewing's story, which begins in 1850, is first. The most common or popular genre at that time was, in fact, the travel journal. The travel log serves as a good foundation and starting point for the other stories to build upon as the overall novel evolves. As Ewing's first section ends rather abruptly, Frobisher appears and tells his story through a series of letters to an old lover whom he has not seen in quite some time. This is a natural succession to Ewing's log because letters and notes addressed to others were the next written genre that emerged.

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Written letters have been common and frequent among citizens for centuries. However, the mail system was greatly improved with the turn of the century, making writing and mailing letters to loved ones even more common. Frobisher's story takes place in 1931 in Belgium. The story takes place between the two World Wars. When men went away to war, letter writing only increased. As the plot develops and moves forward chronologically, so does the genre. Luisa Rey's story is a typical thriller novel. Mystery novels were a big innovation when they were first introduced to the public due to the fact that it established a real sense of doubt and suspense for readers and sequentially it is the next fitting choice in genre adaptation. Mystery and thriller novels were common and well-liked in the 1970's especially in America.

The genre was also well-liked in films during this time and is perfect for Luisa's character living in 1970's California. Cavendish's narrative, which takes place in Britain in the present day, is riddled with sardonic humor throughout, shows the beginning of the memoir and its rise to popularity. This dry sense of humor and personal touch was well-liked by the public in the early 2000's and continues to be rather popular currently. The first person point of view allows readers to understand the thoughts and actions of the main character more fully and offers a very subjective view whereas with Ewing, the story can often times feel foreign and disconnected. This may occur in Ewing's piece due to the interference of his son when the log was being published.

"The Orison of Sonmi~-451" is told in the form of an interview but it takes place in the unspecified future. Obviously, Mitchell has no way of knowing what the common and popular forms of writing will be in the future, but in the fictional world that he creates for Sonmi, writing is less about the physical action of putting pen to paper and takes the form of recorded audio. Sonmi's story is told via recordings of her speaking the story aloud. Sonmi's interview also shows the switch from a focus in writing about oneself to understanding and questioning the actions of others. Sonmi's story is the perfect set up for Zachry's story.

Zachry, who lives in a post-apocalyptic type of world, tells his story orally and takes the novel in a circular motion by bringing back the oldest form of storytelling. By taking this ancient form and applying it to a setting that is so far into the distant future, Mitchell is commenting on the cyclic nature of humans and the earth. The switching of genres in this particular order serves to show that history is bound to repeat itself and that eventually, the world will have to start over from scratch once again to get back all of the literary genres and techniques that humans have spent centuries refining and practicing along with technology and the moral lessons it has taken humans millennia to learn.

David Mitchell switches between genres to show that although each story is unique and differs in gender, point of view, time, and age; they are all connected and interlaced, creating one concise novel. "Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?" (508). Each story overlaps into at least one other which serves to create a giant web over the centuries and continents. Written word ps time and place and so do oral stories, Genre is used by Mitchell as a means to give originality and individuality to each story in the overall novel. By changing the genre with each new section, Mitchell is offering a commentary on each time period and on the fickleness of humankind. However, Mitchell is also commenting on humans' ability to forget the past and repeat history. Genre in Cloud Atlas not only keeps readers intrigued and on their toes, but also serves to highlight the major motif of the interconnectivity of people. "Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future."

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