comment on style / language

The Anatomy Lesson bears Zuckerman’s signature prose style of exuberant, often humorous language that contrasts with often tragic narrative events. The purpose of this contrast is simultaneously recontextualize the novel’s tragedies as humorous, while also using the contrast of humor to further emphasize the depth of the tragedy. This dynamic is somewhat paradoxical, but it serves to illuminate a similar paradox regarding the tragedies of life: one can view them with angst or with humor, and often the two modes are not mutually exclusive.