Magical Realism

W O R L D L I T E R AT U R E
 To begin…

 Magical realism is a literary style that generally describes works

that combine fantasy with reality to create a mythical
occurrence.
 Magical realism is often described as a unique product of Latin
America, but German Franz Roh is actually credited for its
inception.
“Roh introduced it into artistic discourse in the mid-1920s
through the German phrase Magischer Realismus” (Simpkins
141). Latin American authors were drawn to Roh’s literary
concept because it proved to be “a suitable means to express the
‘marvelous reality’ unique to their own culture” (141).
 Laura Esquivel employs this technique throughout her novel
in such a way that the mythical occurrences do not seem odd
to the characters at all. The characters accept the supernatural
incidents as a part of everyday life.
 Magical Realism

A definition: The frame or surface of the work may be

conventionally realistic, but contrasting elements invade
the realism and change the whole basis of the art.
Supernatural, Myth, Dream ,Fantasy


What is it?
A literary mode, not a genre
Magical elements blend with the real world; blend in as a
normal part of life
Full of imagery, symbolism, and emotional and sensory
details
Dreamlike sequences are common as is the incorporation
of folklore and myth
 Magical Realism

Events don't follow our expectations of “if/then”, like

most novels.
 “If this happens, then this will follow.”
Things often happen without an explanation, or for
reasons that we don't expect.
 Remedios the Beauty rises to heaven with her sister-in-law's
sheets. No reason is given, and her sister-in-law Fernanda does
not wonder how this could happen. She accepts it without
surprise, and only regrets that she has lost her sheets.
 Magical Realism

Defies our expectation of fictional selves.

 In realistic novels, characters are given individualized names,
personalities, and family histories.
 We identify with them because their specific humanity engages us,
and their individuality resembles our own.
 Objects and places in magical realist novels behave in ways that
they could not in a realistic fiction.
 Magical Realism

Examples of its popularity in many parts of the world just

after WWII
 Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina, South America)
 Gabriel García Márquez (Columbia, South America)
 Isabel Allende (Chile, South America)
 Günter Grass (Germany)
 Italo Calvino (Italy)
 Umberto Eco (Italy)
 Garcia Márquez on Magical Realism

 The question of what is real is at the heart of magical realism.

 This Implies that our notions of reality are too limited—that
reality includes magic, miracles and monsters.
 By making things happen in his fictional world of Macondo that
do not happen in most novels (or in most readers' experiences
either), Garcia Marquez asks us to question our assumptions
about our world, and to examine our certainties about ourselves
and our community.
 Because the magical events in Macondo are presented matter-of-
factly, our own sense of what is possible is amplified and
enriched. Ordinary objects and events are enchanted.
 Garcia Márquez on Magical Realism

Suggests that cultures and countries differ in what

they call "real."
It is here that magical realism serves its most important
function, because it facilitates the inclusion of
alternative belief systems.
It is no coincidence that magical realism is flourishing
in cultures such as Mexico and Colombia, where
European and indigenous cultures have mixed, with the
result that ancient myths are often just beneath the
surface of modernity.
 Magical Realism vs. Science Fiction/Fantasy

 The crucial difference between magical realism and science fiction/fantasy is

that magical realism sets magical events in realistic contexts, thus requiring
us to question what is "real," and how we can tell.
 set in a normal, modern world with authentic descriptions of humans and
society
 Why use it?
 Show the paradox of the union of opposites
 To show two conflicting perspectives, one based on a rational view of reality
and the other on the acceptance of the supernatural as reality.
Magical Realism in Art

Rob Gonzalves
 Magical Realism in Film

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

 Characteristics of Magical Realism :

 A magic which cannot be explained by typical notions of

natural law.
 A realist description that stresses normal, common, every-day
phenomena, which is then revised or "refelt" by the marvelous.
Extreme or amplified states of mind or setting are often used to
accomplish this.
 It causes the reader to be drawn between the two views of
reality.
 These two visions or realms nearly merge or intersect.
 Time is both history and the timeless; space is often
challenged; identity is broken down at times.
Sources
 Making Connections

Magical realist texts tend to occur at points

of intersection – at margins – at disputed
spaces – in zones which lack comfort – in
places where the familiar coincides with the
uncanny; with the accompanying frisson of
fear that comes with suddenly being lost.
 Margins exist between human cultures and technology ……

Besides black art, there is only automation

and mechanization. The two elements the
traveler first captures in the big city are
extrahuman architecture and furious
rhythm. Geometry and anguish. At first
glance, the rhythm may be confused with
gaiety, but when you look more closely at the
mechanism of social life and the painful
slavery of both men and machines, you see
that it is nothing but a kind of typical, empty
anguish that makes even crime and gangs
forgivable means of escape.
---Frederico Garcia Lorca