Magical Realism
Lindsay
Moore, 1998
Magic Realism is a literary mode rather than a distinguishable
genre, magical realism aims to seize the paradox of the union of
opposites. For instance, it challenges polar opposites like life and
death and the pre-colonial past versus the post-industrial present.
Magical realism is characterized by two conflicting perspectives, one based on
a rational view of reality and the other on the acceptance of the supernatural
as prosaic reality. Magical realism differs from pure fantasy primarily
because it is set in a normal, modern world with authentic descriptions of
humans and society. According to Angel Flores, magical realism involves
the fusion of the real and the fantastic, or as he claims, "an amalgamation
of realism and fantasy". The presence of the supernatural in magical
realism is often connected to the primeval or "magical’ Indian mentality,
which exists in conjunction with European rationality. According to Ray Verzasconi, as well as other critics, magical realism is
"an expression of the New World reality which at once combines the
rational elements of the European super-civilization, and the irrational
elements of a primitive
Background:
The term "magical realism" was first introduced by Franz Roh, a German art critic, who considered magical realism an
art category. To him, it was a way of representing and responding to
reality and pictorially depicting the enigmas of reality. In
Characteristics:
Hybridity: magical realists incorporate many techniques that have been linked to post-colonialism, with hybridity being a primary feature. Specifically, magical realism is illustrated in the inharmonious arenas of such opposites as urban and rural, and Western and indigenous. The plots of magical realist works involve issues of borders, mixing, and change. Authors establish these plots to reveal a crucial purpose of magical realism: a more deep and true reality than conventional realist techniques would illustrate.
Irony Regarding Author’s Perspective: the writer must have ironic distance from the magical world view for the realism not to be compromised. Simultaneously, the writer must strongly respect the magic, or else the magic dissolves into simple folk belief or complete fantasy, split from the real instead of synchronized with it. The term "magic" relates to the fact that the point of view that the text depicts explicitly is not adopted according to the implied world view of the author. As Gonzales Echevarria expresses, the act of distancing oneself from the beliefs held by a certain social group makes it impossible to be thought of as a representative of that society.
Authorial Reticence: authorial reticence refers to the lack of clear opinions about the accuracy of events and the credibility of the world views expressed by the characters in the text. This technique promotes acceptance in magical realism. In magical realism, the simple act of explaining the supernatural would eradicate its position of equality regarding a person’s conventional view of reality. Because it would then be less valid, the supernatural world would be discarded as false testimony.
The Supernatural and Natural: in magical realism, the supernatural is not displayed as questionable. While the reader realizes that the rational and irrational are opposite and conflicting polarities, they are not disconcerted because the supernatural is integrated within the norms of perception of the narrator and characters in the fictional world.
Themes:
Time is a conspicuous theme, which is frequently displayed as cyclical instead of linear. What happens once is destined to happen again. Characters rarely, if ever, realize the promise of a better life. As a result, irony and paradox stay rooted in recurring social and political aspirations.
Another particularly complex theme in magical realism is the carnivalesque. Carnivals celebrate the body, the senses, and the relations between humans, often including particular language and dress, as well as the presence of a madman, fool, or clown. In addition, people organize and participate in dance, music, or theater. Latin American magical realists, for instance, explore the bright life-affirming side of the carnivalesque.
The reality of revolution, and continual political upheaval
in certain parts of the world, also relates to magical realism.
Specifically,
Works Cited:
·
Chanady, Amaryll Beatrice. Magical Realism
and the Fantastic.
·
Cooper, Brenda. Magical
Realism in West African Literature.
·
Danow, David K. The Spirit of Carnival: Magical Realism and the
Grotesque.
http://english.emory.edu/Bahri/MagicalRealism.html