Can it be said that David Mitchell’s writing style in “Cloud Atlas” is representative of the described time period?
My friend is reading David Mitchell’s “Cloud Atlas”, and the narrative is written in very distinctive style, and the most striking characteristic of it is the use of ampersands (and) instead of “and” in every single instance. What do you
say, disgusted, and retorted that you were a husband & a father? I should rather die than abase my dignity & decency with any of his poxed .
Similarly, “etc.” is styled “&c.” For
context, the narrator is a notary from California, and the events take place in the mid-XIX century (from various references in the text, a few years after 1838).
Why is such use of an ampersand used in writing common in period period?
What can I do but have no idea what I should do?
“Pervasive use of ampersand” was common in the 1600’s and 1700’s but I think by the mid-1800’s the practice already was an anachronism. I don’t have any of the cases, but have read novels of the 1800’s where using numerous ampersands in letters was used to signal that the letter-writer was outdated and antiquated.
A mix of usage is seen in some books printed during the period in question. For example, in A complete guide to spinning & trolling shewing how & where to take pike… ( 1, 1859) & appears in some titles and in some abbreviations like &c for etc, but in most of the text the word and usually is spelled out. I suspect David Mitchell is exaggerating.
