Normal Magic, Normalcy, and Explanation in Popular Fantasy And
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PETER DIXON Normal Magic, Normalcy, and Explanation / 335 what is meant by the terms "normal real world" and "explanation." The first section of this article discusses these concepts. Following those comments, I Normal Magic, Normalcy, and describe three classes of examples of popular fantasy works with normal Explanation in Popular Fantasy and magic, that is, fantasy elements that are accepted as normal by the characters and narrator. The first involves magic in a distinct fantasy world, the second Magical Realism pertains to magic in the world of here and now, and the third concerns magic in an identifiable historical context. Finally, I discuss an alternative concept, coherence, which seems more relevant to the distinction between magical It is intuitively clear that the genre of magical realism is distinct from a variety realism and popular fantasy. of superficially comparable genres. An important component of this intuition is the distinct nature of the effects of magical realism on the reader: One often Normalcy and Explanation has the impression that the narrative is not playing by the same rules or following the same conventions as other works with similar constellations of A critical argument is that some story worlds can be identified as "normal" in plot elements. In the present article, I will explore the basis of this that they correspond to our world. It is important to note, though, that story distinctiveness by considering how the characteristics of magical realism apply worlds are generally fictional; thus, they do not correspond precisely to our to popular fantasy. In particular, I will argue that popular fantasy is similar to world because the characters and events of that world did not occur in our magical realism in that they both present fantasy elements as a normal part of world. Instead, the notion of normalcy applies at a more analogical level: the story world. A wide range of relationships between the story world and Although the characters and events and perhaps even the setting do not really our own world can be found in popular fantasy works. However, in at least a exist, one can expect the normal rules of logic and reason to prevail. However, few cases, fantasy elements are presented without explanation in a world that any story world that contains fantasy elements cannot be normal in that sense is recognizably our own, comparable to what is said to be found in magical by definition because those elements do not correspond to the rules of logic realism. In contrast, popular fantasy seems to be uniformly different from and reason. As a consequence, in order to discuss the normalcy of story magical realism in the apparent coherence that those elements have in the worlds in fantasy and magical realism, one needs a less circular account of story world. what would constitute a normal real world. Here, I use a more concrete sense The starting point for the present analysis is the criteria proposed by of normalcy: A normal story world is one in which the setting and Chanady (1985). She argued that magical realism is distinct from at least some circumstances of the story world are recognizable and can be identified in the other genres in that fantasy elements are presented as part of the real world real world at least in kind. These circumstances and setting allow the reader to and are interpreted as normal or uneventful by the narrator and story world recognize the world as his or her own. In Chanady's (1985) terms, when characters. I refer to this as the characteristic of "normal magic." Further, she fantasy elements are presented as occurring in the normal real world, an argued that works in the magical realist genre lack an explanation of the "antinomy" is created between two autonomous codes: the normal, realistic apparent discrepancy between the fantasy elements and the real world. The code (that does not permit magic to occur) and a fantastic code (that does thesis of the present article, though, is that these properties can also be found support magical events). According to Chanady, that antinomy is "resolved" in examples of popular fantasy. In order to make this point, it is necessary to in magical realism because the narrator and character accept the fantasy be clear on what these criteria entail, and in particular, to delineate precisely elements as natural and uneventful. Below, I provide examples of popular fantasy in which the fantasy elements are also accepted as normal even though Canadian Review of Comparative literature/ Revue Canadienne de Littérature Comparée they occur in settings that correspond to our world. CRCL/RCLC June / juin 2003 In some cases, the existence of the fantasy elements is explained in a 0319-051X/03/30.2/334/J10.00/©Canadian Comparative Literature Association manner that provides some reconciliation between those elements with the 336 / Peter Dixon Normal Magic, Normalcy, and Explanation / 337 normalcy of the real world. I suggest that there are at least four different are found only to appear to be magical and can be eventually be ascribed to senses in which one might "explain" a fantastic or magical element. I refer to more commonplace mechanisms. This is sometimes described as the these as description of mechanics, semblance of fantasy, semblance of reality, and "uncanny" (Todorov 1970). Although fantasy works with this kind of pseudo-explanation. I elaborate on each below. explanation can be found, my impression is that they are not Description of mechanics. One sense of explanation of an event is a overwhelmingly common. description of its causes and effects. With respect to fantastic elements in a Semblance of reality. A related but different kind of explanation that is story, this would entail providing information about how those elements fit much more common in popular fantasy is one in which the apparent within the causal structure of the story world. In other words, an explanation correspondence between the reality of the story world and that of our world in this sense would indicate how the magic "works," what its powers and is undermined. In effect, the reader comes to understand that the story world limitations are, who can perform the magic and who cannot, and so on. There may look like our world but it is not, really. For example, in Harry Potter and the is generally a great deal of such information in popular fantasy. However, this Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling, the story opens in what appears to be a kind of explanation seems removed from the arguments expressed by normal English household. However, it eventually becomes clear that in the Chanady (1985). In her discussion of the fantastic and magical realism, an story world, there is an entire society of magical beings that generally remain antinomy is created when fantasy elements are found in a story world that hidden from the larger, non-magical population. Thus, the seeming reality of corresponds to normalcy and there is no explanation of the apparent the story world is only a front, and the bulk of the plot events actually take discrepancy between the story world (where the fantasy elements are found) place in a fantasy world in which magic is possible and common. Other and our world (where they are not). A simple description of the magical examples of this kind of explanation occur in Roger Zelazny's Nine Princes in mechanics typically would provide little information concerning this Amber (discussed more fully below) and Stephen R. Donaldson's The Mirror of discrepancy. Indeed, it is quite common to find descriptions of mechanics in Her Dreams. In both of these novels, the apparent real world is explained as realist stories whenever the setting and circumstances are likely to be only one of several parallel worlds. unfamiliar to the reader. A spy novel might provide detailed information about Pseudo-explanation. A pseudo-explanation is one in which the how clandestine contacts are arranged and conducted, a western novel might occurrence of fantasy elements is explained not in terms of the laws and detail how life is conducted on the open range, and so on. For the same principles of our own world, but in terms of the laws and principles of a reasons, a fantasy novel will provide details about how magic operates in its different (fantasy) world. For example, in Bram Stoker's Dracula, the particular story world. However, I argue that this sense of explanation is not existence of the vampire is discussed as science and scholarly research: what Chanady had in mind since it does not pertain to the discrepancy ... Then tell me — for I am student of the brain — how you accept the between the real and the story world. (At the conclusion of the paper, though, hypnotism and reject the thought reading. ... Can you tell me why men believe I will argue that descriptions of mechanics may be relevant to the notion of in all ages and places that there are some few who live on always if they be coherence, and that coherence may be critical in the distinction between permit; that there are men and women who cannot die? We all know — because magical realism and fantasy.) science has vouched for the fact — that there have been toads shut up in rocks Semblance of fantasy. The other senses of "explanation" pertain to the for thousands of years, shut in one so small hole that only hold him since the distinction between fantasy and reality. The most obvious way in which the youth of the world. (201-02) two might be reconciled is to provide an indication in the narrative that the fantastic elements only seemed fantastic, and that there is a realistic account However, the principles underlying such an explanation are not real, but of those elements within the story world.