Discovering a Culture through Magical Realism
Every culture has a memorable type of literature. When one thinks of English literature, one thinks of William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens. The American writers Thoreau, Clemens, and Emerson bring to mind the days when America was still proving herself to be equal to the European countries. France had her own artists, such as Voltaire and Hugo, as did Spain with Cervantes and Dante. However, when one thinks of Latin America, what writers come to mind? Very few of these authors are as well known as those mentioned. However, through the concept of a previously unknown literature, the world is viewing Latin America in a new light. Magical Realism seems to have flourished in the warm,
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Europe once cast out
America, the world once cast out Germany and Austria, and the literary world once cast out Latin America. This culture, just like so many others, was criticized to extreme levels and yet prevailed to bring to the world this remarkable new literary movement: Magical Realism.
The purpose and definition of Magical Realism are not easily reached as so many writers disagree upon so many aspects. For instance, Roh believes Magical Realism takes an aspect of society, usually overlooked, and adds a special essence that makes one truly appreciate the beauty of life (17). Roh states, “The point is not to discover the spirit beginning with objects, but...to discover objects beginning with the spirit” (24).
As Leal points out, Flores gives no definition or purpose specifically in his text. Flores does, however, discuss many examples of Magical Realism and recites lines from the works to exemplify how different each work is. Leal states in his work:
In magical realism key events have no logical or psychological explanation. The magical realist does not try to copy the surrounding reality (as the realists did) or to wound it (as the surrealists did) but to seize the mystery that breathes behind things. (123)
This excerpt from Leal is in keeping with the theory of Roh. They agree that one should capture an idea or a feeling beginning with the spirit of that same subject.
The
Magical realism is a type of writing where two views of reality come together. There are numerous of ways magical realism is expressed in Latin American writing. A very common one amongst stories is open-ended conclusion in which we the readers just have to accept it. Usually magical realism is used as a metaphor for something more meaningful. One story that conveys a lot of magical realism is The Third Bank of The River by João Guimarães Rosa. The story is about the narrator's dad who was quite the quiet man, who one day bought a boat fit for one. He entered the river and never spoke a word to another soul again. The son is the only one who stays at the house in case of the father's return. He leaves food out for him so that he will survive, until one day he makes an offer to his father, and ends up fleeing in terror.
Magic Realism appears when a character in the story carry forward to be alive ahead of the normal length of life. Also where magical or unreal aspect of a natural part in a different realistic environment and character fracture the rules of our real world. Characters that are portrayed as magical or surreal has a statement that is behind it. An example is Gregor in the Metamorphoses and not only did he turn into a bug but he sent a larger message about human experience. The two stories, A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings and the Metamorphosis, both have a symbolic mean to humanity and realism.
Magical realism is the unique mixture of fantasy, yet the factor of reality in the story harmonizes with it rather than clashes with it. Magical elements have the ability to blend and still create a realistic, and ordinary reality in a society.
They remind us that there are still many mysteries in life. Magic Realism helped to influence Surrealism, and later also influenced Contemporary Realism.
Magical realism is when events, have a magical aspect to them, are entered or set into the mundane world and is naturally accepted into reality. It can include cultural and historical realities placed into ordinary worlds, supernatural people or creatures are otherwise viewed as normal, and even metamorphosis is considered a normal day to day event rather than a miracle. Magical realism may seem like other genres of fiction, however it has its own unique characteristics to characterize it as its own.
Magical realism is the blend of magic and reality, it treats magical occurrences as mundane. In Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya a young boy, Tony experiences magical events when an old curandera, Ultima comes to live with his family. As Tony experiences death, magical healing, and fulfillment from a non-catholic god, he starts to contemplate his religious beliefs and direction in life. Magical realism is used throughout the book with symbols like the golden carp, the owl, and water. The symbolism enriches the text by adding depth to magical realism.
In the book “Bless Me, Ultima” by Rudolfo Anaya there are many occurrences of magical realism. The story is focused around one boy named Antonio. throughout the book Antonio sees and learns different things that will change him forever. He learns that there is evil everywhere in the world. Antonio also meets new people who will mold him into who he is at the end of the book. By the end of the book Antonio loses his innocence and understands how the world really is. Antonio grows up because he experiences life changing events.
Obviously the most concise definition of magical realism is that it is the combination of magical and real elements. The magical elements that
Magical realism is a concept that usually seems to coincide with an unsettling environment. For instance, Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo Del Toro and Night of the Shooting Stars by Giuliani G. De Negri both focus on the idea of fiction centered around a destructive ambience. Both movies take place in a deteriorating war zone in which the main characters manage to escape temporarily but still witness horrific event that they manifest into their own type of dream reality. Pan’s Labyrinth takes place during the Spanish Civil War where a young Ofelia is immersed in the chaos after being forced to live with her sadistic army captain stepfather. She is then encountered by a fairy owned by the faun Pan, who informs her that she is the long-lost
Esquivel's novel follows the tradition of magical realism in its purest form and creates a welcome entry into the Latin American canon whereas Borges' stories, most written more than forty years prior to the publication of Esquivel's novel, use magical realism in a much more complex way and ultimately forge a literary tradition of their own.
Magical realism is a genre that portrays both reality and fantasy. As defined by Faris (2004) in Ordinary enchantments, magical realism is a genre of writing that includes an irreducible element of magic and details that suggest phenomenon (Faris, 2004, p. 7). He describes the irreducible element as: “…something we cannot explain according to the laws of the universe as they have been formulated in Western empirically based discourse…” (Faris, 2004, p. 7). In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story, The handsomest drowned man in the world, the facets of magical realism are rife. He uses magical realism to enchant the reader. The story is of a small cliff-side and coastal community
In Julio Cortázar’s “Axolotl”, the magical realism characteristics of hybrid environments and supernatural and natural helps readers acquire a deeper understanding of reality.
Imagine, every morning you wake up to the sound of the rooster singing. Not to the normal crow a rooster makes, but to a beautiful sonata that wakes your soul up from a deep slumber. It may not sound too realistic in our real word, but to a writer, this can bring special emphases to the story’s meaning. This literary practice is called magical realism. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines magical realism, or magic realism as they put it; 1) painting in a meticulously realistic style of imaginary or fantastic scenes or images; and 2) a literary genre or style associated especially with Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction. It is the second definition that author Laura Esquivel, incorporates magical realism into her book, Like Water for Chocolate. Many of the themes and emotions in the book are emphasized with the use of Magical realism.
How Magical Realism is Achieved and What it Portrays in Juan Rulfo’s Novel: Pedro Paramo
However Jose was fascinated with Magic Realism created by technology. Magic realism is a literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of dream or fantasy. “Magic realism has deep roots in the real, because it grows out of the real and illuminates it in beautiful and unexpected ways, that it works.”(Salman) Because of technology, it changes the viewpoint of the first generation people of Macondo, to them it is magic because it changes there perspective on nature and life. Also, it is real because it is backed by sciences and