METAMODERN OSCILLATION OF TIME AND SPACE AND ITS SYMBOLIC TOOLS: DAVID MITCHELL’S POSTIRONIC WRITING IN THE NOVEL “CLOUD ATLAS”
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Abstract
This paper explores the metaphorical construction of time and space in David Mitchell’s “Cloud Atlas”. Time and space in the novel function as interdependent, symbolically charged categories that materialize through the symbolism of clocks, focus on specific dates, conveyed through the motif of travel and diverse means of travel (as symbols of movement). Analyzing all six interconnected narratives, the article shows how characters try to master their individual spatiotemporal frameworks, embodying a postironic desire to control the abstract categories of time and space. However, these efforts are consistently undermined by the cyclicality of time and the instability of symbols, which function as carriers of bipolar emotional tension. The narrative trajectory of “Cloud Atlas” reveals a model of civilization progressing not linearly but cyclically from emergence to decline, despite persistent attempts of all the characters. Metamodern oscillation in “Cloud Atlas” manifests through time and space as fluctuating forces of hope and collapse, progress and disappointment, which are in constant dynamic balance. Thus, “Cloud Atlas” conceptualizes time and space as a dynamic, oscillatory system that reflects emotional, ethical, and civilizational patterns across generations. The postirony of time and space cyclicality lies in the fact that all six narrators, both individually and collectively, are moving towards apocalypse while maintaining their faith in renewal.
How to Cite
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metamodernism, postirony, symbolism, oscillation of time and space, David Mitchell’s “Cloud Atlas”
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