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Magical Realism Magical Realism From Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms: Magical Realism: In literature, a mode or genre in prose fiction often associated with postmodernism and characterized by a mixture of realistic and fantastic elements. Works of magical realism are set in the real world and treat the magical or supernatural as an inherent, even mundane part of reality requiring no explanation. They typically feature complex, tangled plots; abrupt chronological shifts and distortions of time; and a wealth of images, symbols, and emotional and sensory details. Dreamlike sequences are common, as is incorporation of the carnivalesque, folklore, and myths. Many magic realist works also address cultural hybridity and postcolonial themes, exploring the intersection of colonizers and the colonized, rural and urban folk, Western and indigenous peoples. Elements of magical realism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism) Fantastical elements Magical realism portrays fantastical events in an otherwise realistic tone. It brings fables, folk tales, and myths into contemporary social relevance. Fantasy traits given to characters, such as levitation, telepathy, and telekinesis, help to encompass modern political realities that can be phantasmagorical (something created in a dream or one’s imagination Real-world setting The existence of fantasy elements in the real world provides the basis for magical realism. Writers do not invent new worlds but reveal the magical in this world, as was done by Gabriel García Márquez who wrote the seminal work of the style, One Hundred Years of Solitude. In the binary world of magical realism, the supernatural realm blends with the natural, familiar world.[11] Unreliable narrator When the story is told from the perspective of a narrator who “withholds of information and explanations about the disconcerting fictitious world". The narrator is indifferent, a characteristic enhanced by this absence of explanation of fantastic events; the story proceeds with "logical precision" as if nothing extraordinary took place. Magical events are presented as ordinary occurrences; therefore, the reader accepts the marvelous as normal and common. Moreover, the stresses of real life could have altered the main character’s psyche and their perception could be distorted as a result. Maybe only the main character can perceive the magical world. Hybridity Magical realism plot lines characteristically employ hybrid multiple planes of reality that take place in "inharmonious arenas of such opposites as urban and rural, and Western and indigenous". For example, an individual experiences two realistic situations simultaneously in the same place but during two different time periods, centuries apart. His dreamlike state connects these two realities; this small bit of magic makes these multiple planes of reality possible. Or, do the magical elements in some way reflect characters, objects events, from the real world. For example, Dorothy’s 3 companions, Scarecrow, TinMan and Lion, could represent her 3 uncles in the real world. Heightened awareness of mystery Something that most critics agree on is this major theme. Magic realist literature tends to read at an intensified level. Taking One Hundred Years of Solitude, the reader must let go of preexisting ties to conventional exposition, plot advancement, linear time structure, scientific reason, etc., to strive for a state of heightened awareness of life's connectedness or hidden meanings. Luis Leal articulates this feeling as "to seize the mystery that breathes behind things" Political critique Magic realism contains an "implicit criticism of society, particularly the elite". Especially with regard to Latin America, the style breaks from the inarguable discourse of "privileged centers of literature".This is a mode primarily about and for "ex-centrics": the geographically, socially and economically marginalized. Therefore, magic realism's ‘alternative world’ works to correct the reality of established viewpoints. Magic realist texts, under this logic, are subversive texts, revolutionary against socially dominant forces. .
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