Lincoln in the Bardo

Style and Technique

George Saunders' "Lincoln in the Bardo" stands out for its unique style and structure. The book is written in the form of a collage, consisting of numerous voices, including historical documents, fictional testimonies, and character monologues. This polyphonic approach creates a sense of choral storytelling, where each voice adds its perspective to the overall picture. The language of the work ranges from elevated to conversational, helping convey the diversity of characters and their emotional states. Saunders employs various literary techniques, such as stream of consciousness, fragmentation, and intertextuality, to convey the complexity and multilayered nature of the human experience. The book's nonlinear structure allows the reader to gradually piece together a mosaic of events and emotions related to the loss of Abraham Lincoln's son. This experimental approach makes "Lincoln in the Bardo" a unique work that requires active reader participation in the interpretation process.