Schoene, Berthold. 2009. The Cosmopolitan Novel. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

The World Begins Its Turn with You, or How David Mitchells Novels Think A curious blend of Juli n B rnes!s The History of the World in 10% Chapters "#9$9% nd & 'uo (shiguro!s Anglo)J * nese novels, +ith so,e of the ti,e)tr velling ele,ents of -irgini .oolf!s Orlando "#92$% ,i/ed in, 0 vid 1itchell!s Ghostwritten "#999% nd Cloud Atlas "2002% *ioneer ne+ cos,o*olit n ,odus o*er ndi for t+entyfirst)century British fiction. 1itchell!s n rr tives do not so ,uch bre 3 +ith the tr dition of the English novel s subtly deconstruct, untie nd def ,ili rise it. 4hey co,*rise cutely fr g,ented, yet t the s ,e ti,e s,oothly cohesive co,*ositions str tegic lly bro3en u* into s, ll-r !it ,os ics of divergent *ers*ectives th t together s* n nd unify the globe. Both novels e/*lore ne+ * st5 *resent5future continu +ithout l *sing into ,ere f nciful historiogr *hic l futuris,. 4his is the c se even though both novels cont in llusions to Aldous 6u/ley!s nd 7eorge 8r+ell!s f ,ous dysto*i n cl ssics. (n Ghostwritten v rious ch r cters find the,selves l belled +ithin strict socio)econo,ic hier rchy of l*h s nd g ,, s " s in 6is Serendi*ity!s nd 0+ight Silver+ind!s o,inous 9e+ Age ideologies%, +hile 8r+ell!s night, rish *icture of the future s : boot st ,*ing on hu, n f ce, forever! recurs cross both novels " s, for inst nce, in the :6oly 1ount in! section of Ghostwritten or :An 8rison of Son,i)2;#! in Cloud Atlas%. 1itchell!s +riting ch rts hu, n e/istence both tr nsterritori lly nd s l+ ys deter,ined by loc lly s*ecific conditions. 6is +or3 lends uni<ue voice to the 9 nce n notion of co,,unity s const nt ino*er tive reconfigur tion= it lso illustr tes *erfectly 9 ncy!s underst nding of history, ccording to +hich :historic l ch nge c nnot be chieved in ter,s of di lectic l or teleologic l *rocess, but r ther in ter,s of const nt birth or beco,ing of singul r)*lur l sense! "J ,es 200>: #99%. (n 1itchell!s fiction history **e rs s n indeter,in te, lbeit l+ ys so,e+h t *redict ble recurrence of circu,st nces th t irrevoc bly ,ire the e,ergence nd , nifest tion of individu l e/istence. A select )9?) nu,ber of ,en nd +o,en fro, ll over the +orld 5 e ch nd every one of the, ty*ic lly, even univers lly hu, n 5 re *ortr yed s uni<uely un*recedented nd ini,it ble in their individu l nd cultur l difference, incor*or ting 9 ncy!s observ tion in "ein# $in#ular %lural th t :you @every hu, n singul rityA re bsolutely str nge bec use the +orld begins its turn +ith you! "2000: >%. 1itchell!s ,bition is to i, gine glob lity by de*icting +orld+ide hu, n living in ,ultif ceted, delic tely ent+ined, seri lised sn *shots of the hu, n condition, , r3ed by glob l connectivity nd virtu l *ro/i,ity s ,uch s *sycho) geogr *hic l det ch,ent nd /eno*hobic segreg tion. 4he i, is not to *roBect * rticul r destiny for the +hole of hu, nity= r ther, he does his best to o*en his +or3 u* to the structure of the +orld s he finds it, c *turing its e/istenti l e/*osure nd finitude. 1itchell!s fiction su,,ons hu, nity!s +orld)cre tive *otenti l s +ell s its tr gic "self)% destructiveness into 3ind of liter ry co,,un lity +hich his re ders re not only invited to rel te to, but ,ust * rt 3e of s inh bit nts of one nd the s ,e +orld. 4o i,*le,ent nd convey 1itchell!s liter ry cos,o*olit nis, ,odific tion of the novel!s generic ,or*hology is re<uired or, *erh *s r ther, ch nge in the + ys in +hich +e *erceive

nd decode cert in structur l techni<ues nd *rinci*les of n rr tion. Cor e/ ,*le, the ** rent bro3enness of Ghostwritten nd Cloud Atlas needs to be revie+ed s n el bor te co,*ositeness, c ught in n ongoing *rocess of self)constitution 5 of co,ing together. 8**osed to *ost,odernist fr g,ent tion, this co,*ositeness is designed to *reserve the singul rity of e ch seg,ent s n integr l building bloc3. Di3e+ise, it is cruci l to reg rd the science)fiction nd dysto*i n co,*onents of 1itchell!s novels s constitutive of their *ortr y l of !ontemporary glob lity. 1itchell!s sense of the future is 9 nce n in th t in his +or3, too, :E+eF re futur l, surely, but not in the sense th t +e *roBect ourselves into the future= r ther, the E+eF Bust is this bility to o*en ourselves to the s* cing of +orld, +orld th t is l+ ys Eto)co,eF!. As B. G. 6utchens, one of 9 ncy!s ,ost *ers*ic cious inter*reters, continues to e/*l in, 9 ncy urges us not to ntici* te the future in the for, of vision ry *roBections but to cultiv te inste d : n o*enness +ithout ntici* tion, *re* redness for sur*rise th t could never er dic te sur*rise, +orld in +hich incertitude nd undecid bility re understood to be definitive of the hu, n condition! "200;: #>0%. (t is this o*eneyed, strictly ino*er tive tent tiveness th t ch r cterises 1itchell!s outloo3. 0es*ite his *ench nt for close)u*, first)*erson n rr tion 1itchell encour ges his re ders to do*t bird!s)eye *ers*ective, + tching his )9$) *rot gonists s if they found the,selves, li3e 6enry Pero+ne in 1cE+ n!s $aturday, *erched on b lcony *ondering the hu, n dr , belo+. (nv ri bly, before e,* thy nd co,* ssion get definite hold of us, the scen rio ch nges nd +e re tr ns*orted else+here, giving the i,*ression th t +e re loo3ing t the +orld through 9 nce n 3 leidosco*e. .h t is ne+ nd different *er*etu lly co lesces +ith +h t is the s ,e nd lre dy 3no+n, gr du lly tr nsl ting our e/*erienti l lien tion into sense of ffinity, es*eci lly in the ch *ters set outside the nglo*hone +orld. 9 rr tion ssu,es <uite liter lly life of its o+n, develo*ing n org nic, cellul r dyn ,ic th t serves to dis, ntle the ne tly vertebr te telos nd individu list focus of the tr dition l English novel. (niti lly **e ring s n rr tive <uilts co,*osed of selection of self)cont ined s, ll r !its, or loose ssort,ents of stories snugly telesco*ed one into the other, Ghostwritten nd Cloud Atlas <uic3ly reve l the,selves s driven by f r ,ore fluid dyn ,ic. 4he novels rese,ble intric te perpetua mo&ilia of interconnected vessels overflo+ing into e ch other, or filling u* si,ult neously li3e cells in hive 5 ce selessly *ouring, Bostling nd B rring, stiffening into sh *e only ,o,ent rily before reBoining the flo+, le ving behind only the tr ce of ri**le. (n num&er'dream "200#%, 1itchell!s second novel, this dyn ,ic is described in ter,s of the life force itself, +hich , 3es the +orld *l ce +here :circles re born, +hile circles born second go live. Gircles live, +hile circles living second go die. Gircles die, +hile ne+ circles re born! "2$?%. As 1itchell!s +riting de,onstr tes, these circles need not be ne tly concentric, i,,edi tely t ngenti l, or even *erfectly round= +h t , tters is th t they origin te fro, the s ,e i,*ulse, e/ist +ithin the s ,e ,ediu,, nd re bound by the s ,e sets of l +s. Ghostwritten nd Cloud Atlas c tegoric lly decentre individu l hu, n e/*erience, +hich is by no ,e ns the s ,e s de,oting or dev luing it. P r do/ic lly, the o**osite is the c se, s stri**ed of their centre)st ge *osition in the novel individu ls e,erge s the c rriers of the cre tive nd destructive flo+s th t together constitute the +orld. Unli3e in the tr dition l novel, individu ls re discovered s l+ ys lre dy tied into l rger +hole, +hich ,ost cert inly is not the n tion but the hu, n life)+orld in its glob l tr nsterritori lity. (n this sense, then, individu ls re not initi ted into glob l circul tion= they re in f ct +h t

constitutes, *ro*els nd *er*etu tes this circul tion. Everybody!s life rel tes to everybody else!s, even th t of *erfect str ngers +ho, they +ill never ,eet in *erson. All individu lity ,ounts to is the *roduction of different v ri tions on one nd the s ,e the,e of conte,*or ry hu, n e/istence. Phili* 7riffiths errs +hen, +ith )99) reference to the *rot gonist of the :6oly 1ount in! section of Ghostwritten, he sserts th t :it is the old +o, n!s subBective *oint of vie+ th t utterly do,in tes the n rr tive nd conse<uently forces the su*re, cy of +orld history into subservient *osition! "2002: $#%. 1itchell!s ch r cters re never <uite so *o+erful= in f ct, they beco,e *rot gonists only in so f r s they lso l+ ys shoulder the * rts of su*ernu,er ry e/tr s, corr lled by circu,st nce into strictly de, rc ted *sycho)geogr *hies. 4he 6oly 1ount in d+eller!s her,it)li3e e/istence only g ins signific nce in th t it touches on the lives of others 5 for e/ ,*le, the guests t her inn +ho enBoy her hos*it lity, incur her +r th or ,eet +ith her resist nce 5 or in th t her gr ndd ughter ,ight be the Ghinese , id 9e l Brose h s n ff ir +ith in the :6ong &ong! section of the novel. 4he old +o, n!s life only signifies in so f r s its *resence *ercol tes into the rest of this huge glob l net+or3 of novel 5 its , nifold :continu of identific tion! "Bh bh #99>: 20H%, even though this *ercol tion occurs +ithout her 3no+ledge or intention. 1itchell!s re*resent tion of glob lis tion i,s t n o*ening u* of the +orld to itself, +hich beco,es its one nd only territory. According to Bec3, :if @glob lA culture is conceived s territori lly circu,scribed, then the <uestion of *lur lity le ds to sterile f lse ltern tive: either univers l s ,eness "E1c0on ldi' tionF% or *ers*ectives th t resist co,* rison "Einco,,ensur bilityF%!. As he insists, :cos,o*olit nis,, by contr st, ,e ns the e/ ct o**osite: recognition of difference, beyond the ,isunderst ndings of territori lity nd ho,ogeni' tion! "200>: 295H0%. 1itchell!s vie+ concurs +ith Bec3!s nd 9 ncy!s in th t he too does not so ,uch rebut, or strive to er se, individu l, loc l, even 5 <uite *ossibly 5 n tion l s*ecificity. I ther, he see3s to *revent this s*ecificity fro, rigidifying into n o*er tive nd hence +orld)cre tively obstructive set of forces, co,*osed of individu lism, loc lism, n tion lism or, indeed, their e<u lly detri,ent l counter* rt of n inert, fe tureless univers lis,. 1itchell!s cos,o*olit n novels tr ce the tensions :bet+een the +orld beco,ing glob l " n ll or tot lity% nd the +orld , int ining its o*ening s *l y of difference, inco,*letion, nd finitude! "2002: #;0%, +hich is ho+ &r'ys'tof Ji re3 re ds the se, ntic co,*le/ity of 9 ncy!s conce*t of ,ondi lis tion. 1ondi lis tion in this conte/t ,ust be understood s :+orlding! or, *ut differently, the +orld!s :unfolding into co,*le/ of rel tions, e/ch nges, tr ns ctions, bonds, nd ffili tions, +hich, +ithout constituting +hole or tot lity, continuously "re%for, the,selves s +orld! "2002: #;0%. Gonfusingly, it **e rs to be the conte,*or ry +orld!s very trend to+ rds tot lis tion nd glo,icity th t ,obilises loc l nd individu l s*ecificity in the first *l ce, nd in such + y th t 5 by beco,ing )#00) instru,ent l in other, hitherto un*recedented *rocesses of +orldcre tion 5 it c nnot but *er*etu lly ru*ture glob lis tion!s drive for s ,eness nd unifor,ity. Iele sed fro, her hy*erbolic centr lity, the individu l is not lost in the turbulent nitty)gritty of glob l ,ulti*licity= r ther, she e,erges s integr lly, even indis*ens bly constitutive of it. 4he

cos,o*olit n is hence l+ ys of necessity subBect r ther th n n individu l, but one +hose irre,edi bly glob lised dis*osition is lso her ,ost effective ,e ns of resist nce. 6er singul rity re, ins indis*ut ble nd c nnot be er sed or cont ined by glob lis tion. And yet, it is her very st te of o**ression nd disloc tion th t ccentu tes her difference nd unle shes into the +orld its unruly ubi<uity. @KA (n ter,s of its co,*osite structure, its intric te +eb of intr te/tu l connections, nd its *ro,otion of hu, nity s ino*er tive +orld)co,,un l )##2) being)in)co,,on, Cloud Atlas very ,uch rese,bles Ghostwritten, +hich one ,ight in f ct + nt to reg rd s its *rototy*e. 4he difference bet+een the t+o novels is th t Cloud Atlas is structur lly nd conce*tu lly f r ,ore ,bitious th n its *redecessor in th t it introduces te,*or lly ,ore el bor te nd co,*le/ design. Di3e ,o,ent rily e/* nding nd then g in contr cting history of hu, n3ind, c ught in rhyth, of systolic nd di stolic *uls tion, the l ter novel *ioneers n rr tive s device for ti,e)tr vel nd *robes hu, nity!s e/istenti l orient tion +ithin both s* ce nd history. Cloud Atlas consists of si/ inde*endent stories enc sed one inside the other li3e Iussi n dolls, turning the novel into: n infinite , triosh3 doll of * inted ,o,ents, e ch :shell! "the *resent% enc sed inside nest of :shells! "*revious *resents% ( c ll the ctu l * st but +hich +e per!eive s the virtu l * st. 4he doll of :no+! li3e+ise enc ses nest of *resents yet to be, +hich ( c ll the ctu l future but +hich +e per!eive s the virtu l future. "1itchell 2002: 209% 4he outer,ost l yer of the novel!s * li,*sest is *rovided by :4he P cific Journ l of Ad , E+ing!, the ,id)nineteenth)century di ry of G liforni n not ry on his + y ho,e fro, the Gh th , (sl nds. E+ing!s di ry is found in :Detters fro, Jedelghe,!, the novel!s ne/t section set in Belgiu, in the e rly #9H0s, recorded by Iobert Crobisher, ,usic l enfant terri&le nd , nuensis to the +orld)f ,ous co,*oser -yvy n Ayrs. 4he third section of the novel *resents us +ith :6 lf)Dives: 4he Cirst Duis Iey 1ystery!, set in G liforni of #9?; nd +ritten in the style of Gh ndleres<ue detective fiction. 4he section fe tures the no+ elderly Iufus Si/s,ith, Crobisher!s confid nt nd sole ddressee of ll his letters, s retired to,ic engineer +ith Se bo rd (ncor*or ted, co,* ny +hose cri,in l unscru*ulousness is investig ted by the fledgling Bourn list Duis Iey. 9ot only does Iey eventu lly co,e into the *ossession of Crobisher!s letters, +hich Si/s,ith **e rs to h ve c rried +ith hi, ll his life, but her investig tion lso le ds her to the G *e Lerb s Ioy le 1 rin , the fin l ,ooring *l ce of the %rophetess, the shi* th t c rried E+ing ho,e. 4he Iey section is follo+ed by :4he 7h stly 8rde l of 4i,othy G vendish!, light)he rted, if slightly sinister co,edic ro,*, connected to the *revious section by the f ct th t G vendish is *ublisher +ho is sent :4he Duis Iey 1ystery! s n unsolicited , nuscri*t for *ossible *ublic tion. 9ot bly both Iey nd G vendish lre dy , 3e brief **e r nces in Ghostwritten, one s c ller on the "at $e#undo $how in :9ight 4r in! nd the other s 1 rco!s *ublisher in :Dondon! nd 9e l Brose!s e,*loyer!s younger brother in :6ong &ong!. Sections ; nd > of the novel tr ns*ort us f r into the future. :An 8rison of Son,i)2;#!, set in +h t used to be &ore , is centred on the

)##H) life story of geno,ed serv nt clone rebelling g inst her ste,)ty*e *rogr ,,ing under the consu,erist tot lit ri nis, of P * Song Gor*. 6er story is *resented to us in the for, of n intervie+ conducted on the eve of her tri l for tre son. (t survives into the novel!s fin l section s hologr *hic udio)visu l recording stored in *ort ble, egg)sh *ed electronic device. (n :Sloosh !s Grossin! n! Ev!rythin! After!, set in the *ost) *oc ly*tic rchi*el go of 6 ).hy, +e reencounter Son,i s deity +orshi**ed by the loc l tribe of go therds nd fisher,en, +ho, in 1itchell!s ingenious *ortr y l, e,erge t once s our ncestors nd our descend nts. J chry, the centr l ch r cter, is rchety* l , n= Ad , is his long)lost brother!s n ,e, but lso of course E+ing!s in the novel!s beginning. 4orn by genocid l conflict bet+een the .ind+ rd nd Dee+ rd tribes, the story of 6 ).hy concludes +ith the ensl ve,ent of J chry!s *eo*le by the &on , re*e ting the 1 oris! subBug tion of the 1oriori in the history of the Gh th , (sl nds s recounted by E+ing in his di ry. As result, ny *ossible distinction bet+een *re) nd *ost)l *s ri n hu, nity, or the * st nd the future, s +ell s f ct nd fiction, beco,es virtu lly indeci*her ble. 6istory is sho+n not so ,uch to re*e t itself s to find itself in *er, nent oscill tion bet+een ho*e, Boy nd fe r, good nd evil, cert in de,ise nd there fter inevit ble regener tion. (n the novel!s o*ening section Ad , is s ved fro, the de dly clutches of 0r 7oose by Autu , the l st of the 1oriori, reversing the roles of lleged s v gery nd civilis tion, Ghristi nity nd the * g n. .ithin the novel!s te,*or l sche,e it see,s lso s if Autu !s herois, in the * st ,ight so,eho+ serve to re* ir, or t le st signific ntly counterb l nce, J chry!s future f ilure to s ve his brother fro, ensl ve,ent. But then convention l conce*ts of ti,e **e r no longer to **ly, s +h t co,es to *rev il in Cloud Atlas , nifests ever ,ore ssertively s the glob l synchronicity of ll hu, n ti,e e/*osed in n rr tive , lg , tion of countless * r llel +orlds, +hich des*ite their ** rent ,ulti*licity nd chronologic l segreg tion signify in f ct l+ ys one nd the s ,e +orld. E,ul ting Gloud Atl s Se/tet 5 1itchell!s fiction of Crobisher!s little) 3no+n, elusive ,usic l , ster*iece 5 the novel unfolds s the orchestr ted inter*l y of r nge of inti, tely ent+ined tunes, *l yed in different ,odes on v riety of instru,ents, yet inv ri bly chi,ing s one. As in Ghostwritten, in Cloud Atlas the n rr tive *roceeds by e/*osing the lives of series of foc l ch r cters: E+ing, Crobisher, Iey, G vendish, Son,i, nd in the fin l core section, oddly enough, not J chry, the ctu l *rot gonist, but 1erony,, one of the Prescients, technologic lly ,ore dv nced grou* of *ost) *oc ly*tic survivors )##2) +ho regul rly tr vel to 6 ).hy to study the custo,s of its indigenous *eo*les. 9ot bly, ho+ever, in Cloud Atlas the ch r cters re lin3ed not si,*ly by their st tus s :continu of identific tion! "Bh bh #99>: 20H%, or the ,ore or less r ndo, visit tions of ro ,ing noncor*u,, but ,uch ,ore inti, tely through n etern l cycle of reinc rn tion. 4hey ll **e r s versions of one nother, , r3ed s closely rel ted by co,et)sh *ed birth, r3 +hich, s only re lly second)ti,e re der h s ny ch nce of noticing, lre dy singles out & tie Corbes in the e rlier Ghostwritten. Iey!s connection to Crobisher see,s * rticul rly *ronounced. 8n he ring the l tter!s Gloud Atl s Se/tet for the first ti,e, :Duis st nds, entr nced, s if living in stre , of ti,e!, the sound of it stri3ing her s :*ristine, riverli3e, s*ectr l, hy*notic K intimately familiar( "22;%. Si,il rly, on re ding Crobisher!s forty) ye rold letters to Si/s,ith she is left reeling t :the di''ying vividness of the i, ges of *l ces nd *eo*le th t the letters h ve unloc3ed. (, ges so vivid she c n only c ll the, ,e,ories!

"#2#%. Iey lso *ic3s u* so,e unc nny vibr tions fro, + l3ing * st the shi* on +hich E+ing s iled ho,e in the nineteenth century, no+ n o*en) ir ,useu, *iece, sensing : str nge gr vity th t , 3es her * use for ,o,ent nd loo3 t its rigging, listen to its +ooden bones cre 3ing. @KA What is wron#M Duis !s birth, r3 throbs! "22$%. @KA At first gl nce 1itchell!s introduction of the conce*t of reinc rn tion into his novel ,ust **e r s f r too definitive nd *reord ined lin3 bet+een his ch r cters. I ther th n setting the scene for the cre tion of n ino*er tive cos,o*olit n co,,unity, it *ur*osely contrives to f ,ili rise one individu l soul +ith the * rticul r vicissitudes of its historic l singul rity. 4he conce*tu l +3+ rdness of the device does not esc *e 1itchell hi,self, +ho uses G vendish!s editori l e/*ertise s *ublisher to dis,iss ,oc3ingly :the insinu tion th t Duis Iey is this Iobert Crobisher ch * reinc rn ted, for e/ ,*le. C r too hi**iedruggy)ne+ ge.! 6o+ever, follo+ing this dis,iss l, 1itchell cle rly c nnot resist the irony of dding 5 in G vendish!s o+n +ords 5 th t :(, too, h ve birth, r3, belo+ ,y left r,*it, but no longer ever co,* red it to co,et! "H?H%. 4he birth, r3 only :+or3s! if one refr ins fro, seeing it s so,ething th t uni<uely nd e/clusively connects the si/ ch r cters. Everybody else 5 ll of us 5 ,ight indeed be be ring different, if si,il rly indelible 3ind of , r3, lbeit , ybe not <uite so cons*icuous or s*ect cul r. 4he recurrent co,et)sh *ed birth, r3 in )##;) Cloud Atlas h s to be seen s gener l r ther th n s*ecific sy,bol of hu, nity!s *otenti l for co,,un l ffili tion cross the gener tions. .hen it co,es to re ding Iey!s *sychoso, tic e*i*h nies, therefore, one is +ell dvised to be r in ,ind 6utchens!s elucid tion of 9 nce n co,,unity not s : n ggreg tion of individu ls, but, r ther crudely, @ sA so,ething very ,uch li3e EfeelingF t the ,o,ents of sh ring in cont ct bet+een irreducibly singul r beings +ho do not even sh re the *ro*erty of Ebelonging togetherF in cohesive grou*! "200;: #0;%. Put differently, hu, nity!s herit ge throbs in ll of us, t ll ti,es, ho+ever v guely nd int ngibly. All 1itchell!s novel does is , teri lise our consciousness of hu, nity!s glob l being)in)co,,on by +riting onto the body of his *rot gonists the ,ysterious ctu lity nd endur nce of history. 4o c *ture the sense of this di chronic, ,ultidi,ension l being)inco,,on, of hu, n life s such, +ithout fi/ing it by subBecting it to ny * rticul r teleologic l *rinci*le, 1itchell!s liter ry ,bition is i,ed t nothing less th n the cre tion of : never)ch nging , * of the everconst nt ineff ble @KA n tl s of clouds! "H$9%. Such n tl s +ould not re, in restricted to the t+o novels under discussion, but involve ll of 1itchell!s +or3 se+n into one body of te/ts, one +orld. Both num&er'dream "200#% nd "la!) $wan Green "200>% reverber te +ith references fro, Ghostwritten nd Cloud Atlas. 1ost intriguing in this conte/t is cert inly ho+ 1itchell!s se,i) utobiogr *hic l "la!) $wan Green co,es to incor*or te *urely fictitious ch r cters such s 7+endolin Bendinc3s, the vic r!s do,ineering +ife, +ho re **e rs s le der of the geri trics in :4he 7h stly 8rde l of 4i,othy G vendish!, or Ev , -yvy n Ayrs!s teen ge d ughter in :Detters fro, Jedelghe,!, +ho is revived s the elderly 1 d ,e Gro,,elync3, liter ry ,entor of burgeoning *oet Eliot Boliv r, .3. . J son 4 ylor, 1itchell!s o+n liter ry *redecessor. Ev ,e,or bly scolds young J son for +h t she reg rds s his ty*ic lly English insul rity of ,ind, his ,onoligu lis,, nd his ignor nce of Euro*e n liter ture: :4ho, s 1 nn, Iil3e, 7ogolN Proust, Bulg 3ov, -ictor 6ugoN 4his is your culture, your inherit nce, your s)eleton* Lou re ignor nt even of +af)aM! I ther *ointedly she dds th t :tr nsl tions re incourteous bet+een Euro*e ns!, nd she is outr ged to find th t

:English schoolboys in our enlightened #9$0s c nnot re d boo3 in foreign l ngu ge! "200>: 202%. 1itchell!s novels re i,ed t +e ving n ll)e,br cing cos,o*olit n net+or3 of ,utu lly inter*er,e ting lives nd stories. Albeit infor,ed +ith sense of gre t +orld)*olitic l urgency, his n rr tives never beco,e overtly or one)sidedly uto*i n, +hich is by no ,e ns to s y his +or3 l c3s ethic l deter,in tion or *olitic l co,,it,ent. A )##>) *ertinent e/ ,*le here is the +eb of surviv l nd e/tinction out of +hich Cloud Atlas cre tes the +orld. 4ogether, Autu 5 the l st of the 1oriori, sto+ + y, nd s viour of Ad , E+ing 5 nd *ost) *oc ly*tic every, n J chry, +ho lives to beget children fter the genocide of his *eo*le, <uite liter lly beco,e the found tion l A to J of 1itchell!s +orlding, the be) ll)in) co,,on nd never)end) ll of his ethic l vision. Entirely ignor nt of e ch other, +ith ll co,,on tr dition l lin3s severed bet+een the,, Autu !s nd J chry!s *eo*les cultiv te n identic l *hiloso*hy of life, t once strictly loc list nd r dic lly univers l: :4h t the terr <ueous globe held other l nds, trod by other feet, the 1oriori dre ,t not. (ndeed, their l ngu ge l c3s +ord for EI ceF O E1orioriF ,e ns, si,*ly, EPeo*leF! ";%. (n 1itchell!s vision they lso sh re the s ,e resolutely * cificist creed. A,ong the 1oriori ,urder is suicide: :.hoever s*ilt , n!s blood 3illed his o+n mana 5 his honour, his +orth, his st nding O his soul. 9o 1oriori +ould shelter, feed, converse or even see the persona non #rata( ">%. Gorres*ondingly, ,ong J chry!s tribe :if you stole nother!s life no!un b rter nothin! +ith you nor see you nor nothin!cos your soul + s so *oisoned you , y give !e, sic3ness! "H#>%. .h t Cloud Atlas illustr tes here is hu, nity!s ongoing vulner bility to evil, s de,onstr ted by the grueso,e f te of Autu !s nd J chry!s *eo*les t the h nds of their ensl vers, s +ell s the inveter te resilience of hu, nity!s goodness, s sho+n in its irre*ressible recurrence nd, vi J chry!s offs*ring, its ho*eful *er*etu tion +ithin nd beyond the inner,ost de*ths of the cos,o*olit n i, gin tion. (n 1itchell!s re*resent tion hu, n history e,erges s riven by recurrent ,utu l e/*loit tion, be it in the for, of con<uest cco,* nied by genocide nd ensl ve,ent, colonis tion nd the building of E,*ire, or the thre t of ever)incre sing glo,icity nd +orld+ide cor*or tis tion. 4he e/tre,e dysto*i of Son,i!s e rly life s genetic lly engineered, subhu, n server, dee,ed fit only for the *ur*ose t h nd nd entirely recycl ble, is *resented s little ,ore th n very r tion l si,*lific tion of socio)econo,ic rel tions lre dy *rev lent in Duis Iey!s A,eric of the #9?0s, +here t cor*or te get)togethers :his* nic , ids su**lied by the c terers c rry tr ys of food bet+een the ll)+hite guests! "2#$%, s +ell s 4i,othy G vendish!s conte,*or ry Brit in. 8blivious to the ctu l *ortentousness of his s rc stic co,,ents, 4i,othy re, r3s +ith reg rd to ,eni l r il+ y st ff th t :the cor*or tion breeds the, fro, the s ,e ste, cell!, dding l ter th t in science * r3s on the *eri*hery of G ,bridge :Biotech S* ce Age cuboids no+ sit cloning hu, ns for sh dy &ore ns! "#?0%. Politics is succu,bing to the interests of cor*or cy +hile society!s co,,un l dyn ,ics +ind u* )##?) fro'en by st te control. :.e need to let business run the country! "220% is lesson *olitici ns ,ust le rn <uic3ly if they + nt to succeed. Pertinently, in the Duis Iey section, Ion ld Ie g n 5 destined to beco,e US *resident in the #9$0s nd, in coll bor tion +ith 1 rg ret

4h tcher, , Borly instru,ent l in building our current neo)liber list +orld order 5 is s3ed to h ng on nd :+ it his turn! +hile the GE8 of Se bo rd (ncor*or ted is too busy to s*e 3 +ith hi, "222%. 1e n+hile l ngu ge itself dis*l ys signs of gro+ing corru*tion by br nding. Son,i lives in +orld +here the +ords :+ tch!, :c r!, :shoes!, :c ,er !, :,ovies!, :coffee! nd :cig rette! h ve been su*erseded by :role/!, :ford!, :ni3es!, :ni3on!, :disneys!, :st rbuc3! nd :, rlboro!. Son,i!s +orld lso sho+s stri3ing ffinity +ith &el, n!s :l nd of the free! in ,ou Have to "e Careful. Both re built u*on t+o)tier syste, of strictly segreg ted socio)econo,ic grou*s of h ves nd h ve)nots, nd in both +orlds the lleged h ves 5 :*urebloods! in 1itchell!s novel, :trueborns! in &el, n!s 5 turn out to be t le st s ensl ved, *re*rogr ,,ed nd re,ote)controlled s the 6u/ley n delt s nd e*silons bred to serve the,. 9ot bly, nothing * nics &el, n!s conte,*or ry A,eric ns ,ore th n co,ing f ce to f ce +ith the ** rition l 7rocery)G rt Pusher, the e*ito,e of des*er te consu,erist ostr cis, nd soci lly un cce*t ble f ilure th t h unts the n tion. A very si,il r *sycho) syste,ic ,ech nis, is t +or3 in 9e So Go*ros, Son,i!s dysto*i n conurb tion, +here the st te!s ostent tious cultiv tion of -.ntermens!h slu,s ,otiv te@sA do+nstr t consu,ers by sho+ing the, +h t bef lls those +ho f il to s*end nd +or3 li3e good citi'ens! "HH2%. Let ,ong ll the ble 3ness de*icted by 1itchell fe+ ltern tives to the cor*or te night, re Bust bout , n ge to cling on. 8n her flight fro, the security forces Son,i co,es cross the re, ins of n old bbey, +hich h s beco,e ho,e to : colony of dis*ossessed *urebloods +ho *refer scr *ing life out of the ,ount ins to the untermens!h sin3s! "H2>%. But s 1itchell insists in ty*ic lly 9 nce n f shion, this is :no bucolic uto*i !: :4he colonists bic3er nd grieve s *eo*le +ill. But they do it in co,,unity. 9e So Go*ros h s no co,,unities= it only h s the st te! "H2?%. (n :Sloosh !s Grossin! n! Ev!rythin! After!, the core section of Cloud Atlas, +e re *rovided +ith yet nother gli,*se of the 3ind of loc l, +orld)cre tive living so overtly endorsed by 1itchell. 4he life of J chry!s *eo*le see,s not very different fro, the one led by Son,i!s grou* of r dic l dro*outs t the bbey. 1itchell!s vision of *ost *oc ly*tic surviv l lso cons*icuously rese,bles &el, n!s in Translated A!!ounts, +here hu, nity li3e+ise begins to blosso, g in fter co,*lete societ l ,eltdo+n, gr du lly retrieving sense of )##$) co,,unity fro, dis* r te cro+d of tr u, tised str ngers. (n both n rr tives this co,,un l re) sse,bl ge is cco,* nied by regener tion of l ngu ge, ho+ever torturous nd initi lly difficult to gr s*, , nifesting in &el, n!s lingu fr nc tr nsl torese s +ell s J chry!s futuristic *idgin. (,*ort ntly, :no+ the c ndle o! civ!li'e is burnt + y! "2;;%, 1itchell sho+s ho+ inevit bly both the *ositive nd neg tive s*ects of hu, n living begin to re ssert the,selves: there re the +ell+ishing e/*ressions of neighbourly 3indness nd solicitude 5 such s :7o c reful!, re,iniscent of the ubi<uitous (rish :,ind ho+ you go! in the Gle r (sl nd section of Ghostwritten 5 nd there is the iner dic ble /eno*hobi th t continues to drive +edge bet+een :us! nd :the,!, be they c lled :foreigners! or, s in J chry!s tongue, :offl nders!. .h t survives lso is hu, nity!s irre*ressible vidity for storytelling. Cloud Atlas cul,in tes in J chry!s 3ids co,ing together to listen once g in to Son,i!s t le. 4his is the ,o,ent future history o*ens u* nd si,ult neously v nishes fro, vie+ for good= it is the novel!s n vel, its /i l n dir nd centr l turning *oint, si,ult neously its ending nd its reco,,ence,ent.

(n 1itchell!s vision, hu, nity is inv ri bly the s ,e, but different, nd so is the re*ertory of stories th t , 3e u* its history. 0ifference +ill re ssert itself even out of tot lit ri nis, nd the ,ost relentlessly controlled ho,ogeneity. Sy,bolic lly this sho+s in the refreshing n tur l ,ut bility of the genetic lly , ni*ul ted insects Son,i sees on her flight: :8nce) geno,ed ,oths s*un round our he ds, electron)li3e= their +ings! logos h d ,ut ted over gener tions into ch nce syll b ry! "H2;%. )##9) @KA Both the cod in Ghostwritten nd the fin l vision of :Sloosh !s GrossinF t the he rt of Cloud Atlas c n h rdly be described s *ro*er endings= r ther, e ch st nds s *otenti l reco,,ence,ent , r3ing the curve of never)ending s*ir l of n rr tion. (ndis*ut bly finite in their novel)ness, s +ell s their *ortr y l of )#2#) one recognis ble +orld 5 our +orld 5 both novels re ch endlessly into the * st nd the future, enco,* ssing the f int ,ur,urings of other stories or une/*ectedly entering the n rr tives of 1itchell!s other +or3s, even his utobiogr *hic l +riting. 4he ch r cters co,e in sets nd constell tions th t re o*en cos,o*olit n * r dig,s, foresh do+ing e ch other nd being oversh do+ed by the " s yet% unrecounted co,,un l lives of ,ultitudinous other conte,*or ries, ncestors nd descend nts. @KA 4r dition lly the rece*tion of the novel h s been do,in ted by t+o cl ssic *resu**ositions reg rding the genre!s *reoccu* tion +ith n tionhood nd individu lis,. (n The $pe!tre of Comparisons Benedict )#22) Anderson sserts th t :the historic l **e r nce of the novel) s*o*ul r)co,,odity nd the rise of n tion)ness +ere inti, tely rel ted! "#99$: HH2%, nd in How Novels Thin) 9 ncy Ar,strong!s core thesis is th t :novels thin3 li3e individu ls bout the difficulties of fulfilling oneself @KA under s*ecific cultur l historic l conditions! "200;: #0%. 8nly s n fterthought does Anderson e/*ress concerns s to +hether :the dee* origin l ffinity bet+een n tion)ness nd the novel ,e nt they +ould l+ ys be de<u te for one nother: th t the n tion +ould continue to serve s the n tur l if uns*o3en fr ,e of the novel! "HH2%. Si,il rly, Ar,strong concludes on concession, n ,ely th t one d y novels ,ight indeed :begin to thin3 of genuine ltern tive to the individu l, one th t does not ins*ire *hobi nd yet is grounded in the +orld +e no+ inh bit!. 4he very li3elihood th t such foc l * r dig, shift ,ight occur, f cilit ted by the genre!s sensitivity to cultur lhistoric l ch nge, *ro,*ts Ar,strong in the end to reflect th t :the novel of course + s not , de to thin3 beyond the individu l, but neither, on the other h nd, + s it , de to re*roduce the st tus <uo! "2;%. 1itchell!s cos,o*olit n novels loo3 in , ny + ys s if they h d been f shioned directly out of Anderson!s nd Ar,strong!s secondthought llo+ nces for the genre!s *ossible evolution. Both Ghostwritten nd Cloud Atlas *ioneer the novel s o*ening u*on +orld)cre tive tour du monde th t i, gines co,,unity beyond the bounds of the n tion. 4his ne+ i, gined

co,,unity res*ects yet does not single out or fetishise the individu l= it cco,,od tes the self nd to cert in degree ssi,il tes it +ithin l rger +hole, yet it never sets it to +or3: neither the individu l, nor the co,,unity of +hich it * rt 3es, ever ssu,e *osition of tot lity. 8ur ne+ glob l conte,*or neity 5 th t is, Ar,strong!s :+orld +e no+ inh bit!, to +hich the novel is *rogr ,,ed seis,ic lly to res*ond 5 *ro,otes the rise of ne+ *olitic l esthetics nd esthetic *olitics @KA