MAGIC REALISM Flashcards
describe the work of certain Latin American writers and is a literary genre of 20the century in which
magical elements appear in a realistic settings.
based on folklore or popular myth, it is
recognizable by its use of surrealistic elements and as a dense, elegant, whimsical and layered stories
with the open-ended conclusion
MAGIC REALISM
He is a Venezuelan writer who used the term Magic Realism or Magical realism
Arturo Uslar-Pietri
Main Characteristics of Magic Realism
Fantastical elements that are never explained
Characters accept rather than question the logic of the magical element.
Sensory details
Use of symbols and imagery extensively.
Emotions and the sexuality developed in great detail
Distortion or collapse of time creating a setting in which the present repeats or resembles the
past.
Inversion of cause and effect
Incorporated legend or folklore
Presentation of events from multiple standpoints
Mirroring past against present; astral against physical planes; or characters one against another
Open-ended conclusion
magical realism is characterized by two conflicting
perspectives,
rational view of reality
supernatural as prosaic reality
Difference of Magical Reaslim to Pure Fantasy
Magical realism differs from pure fantasy primarily because it is set in a
normal, modern world with authentic descriptions of humans and society. It aims to seize the paradox of
the union of opposites; for instance, it challenges binary oppositions like life and death and the pre-colonial past versus the post-industrial present
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 “native”
mentality, which exists in opposition to 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 America.”
Gonzalez Echchevarria believes that magical realism offers a world view that is not based on natural or physical laws nor objective reality. However, the fictional world is not separated
from reality either
The term “magical realism” was first introduced by a German art Critic, who considered magical realism an art category
Franz Roh
They are influenced by Magical realism:
Indian writer Salman Rushdie
and
Nigerian poet and novelist Ben Okri
Characteristics of Magical Realism
Hybridity: Magical realists incorporate many techniques that have been linked to post-colonialism, with
hybridity being a primary feature.
Irony Regarding Author’s Perspective: writer must have ironic distance from the magical world view for the realism not to be compromised;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.
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.
The Supernatural and Natural: In magical realism, the supernatural is not displayed as questionable.
Themes in MAgical realism
Idea of terror
Time
Irony and Paradox
Carnivalesque
Reality of evoution and continual political upheaval
philosophical thought that was translated into a literary work of the late nineteenth
and twentieth century.
Existentialism
Existentialism highly inspired by the writings of philosophers such
as
Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Jasper and a Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky
whose great novels Notes from the Underground and The Brothers Karamazov made him one of the most respected and influential writers of the movement. (Existentialism)
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Main characteristics of Existentialism
Preoccupation with human existence
Absurdity of existence
Limitations of reason
Interest in dramatic and tragic aspects of life
Interest in various forms of consciousness
Literary analysis of self-deception
Themesofanxiety, guilt, and solitude
Anguish as a universal element of life
Unpredictable and perversely self-destructive characters
Individuals bear responsibility for their actions
Existencecannotbefully understood through empirical effort
There is no common standard of perception for religious and ethical matters