The contrast of Babel's descriptions and the actual context of the story behind them create a very eerie feeling to his pieces.  I think that this contrast is something that makes his stories good and popular.  It's something I may have read before, but you definitely don't come across it often.  On the other hand, it makes sense why he combines these two things.  Beauty and violence coexist and with literature you have the power to push them into a space unnatural close together.  I appreciate the steps he took as a writer to create something new and unexpected.