characteristics of magic realism

 

characteristics of magic realism

Magic Realism

Two conflicting positions characterize magical realism: one is based on a so-called realistic view of reality, while the other is based on the acknowledgement of the magical as a mundane reality. The main difference between magical realism and pure fantasy is that the former is situated in a real, current world with genuine people and cultures. It raises issues of binary oppositions like life and death, as well as the pre-colonial past vs. the post-industrial present. According to Angel Flores, magical realism is the fusion of the real and fantastic, or, as he puts it, "a marriage of realism with imagination."

The term "magic realism" is also associated with realistic artworks —  drawings and painting — that suggest hidden meanings. 

Background

Franz Roh,  coined the phrase "magical realism" to describe a kind of art. It was a way for him to portray and respond to reality. In the 1940s, magical realism in Latin America was a technique to represent the realistic American attitude and build an independent literary style. However, magical realism is not limited to Latin American literature; numerous Latin American authors, such as Indian writer Salman Rushdie and Nigerian poet and novelist Ben Okri, have impacted writers all over the world.

Characteristics of Magical Realism

Authorial Reticence: 

The lack of unambiguous thoughts regarding the truth of events and the legitimacy of the world views stated by the characters in the text is referred to as authorial reticence. In magical realism, this strategy encourages acceptance. The sheer act of describing the supernatural would eliminate magical realism's position of equality in relation to a person's ordinary sense of reality. The supernatural realm would be disregarded as false testimony since it would be less valid.

The Supernatural and Natural: 

The supernatural is not shown as suspect in magical realism. While the reader is aware that the logical and irrational are diametrically opposed and antagonistic polarities, they are unconcerned since the supernatural is integrated into the narrator's and characters' perception norms in the fictitious world.

Hybridity:

Many strategies associated with postcolonialism are used by magical realists, with hybridity being a key aspect. Specifically, magical realism is demonstrated in the discordant domains of urban and rural, as well as Western and indigenous cultures. Borders, mixing, and transformation are all included in the storylines of magical realism literature. The authors create these stories to show a key goal of magical realism: to depict a more profound and accurate world than standard realist tactics can.

Themes

In magical realism, the concept of horror trumps the potential of rejuvenation. Soldiers, police, and sadists are just a few examples of notable authoritarian characters who have the authority to torture and kill.

Another prominent topic is time, which is typically depicted as cyclical rather than linear. What has happened before is bound to happen again. The promise of a better life is rarely, if ever, realized by the characters. As a result, paradox and irony remain ingrained in recurrent social and political goals.

 The carnivalesque is another intricate motif in magical realism. The carnivalesque is literature's mirror of the carnival. Carnival is a celebration of the human body, senses, and interpersonal relationships. "Carnival" refers to a variety of cultural manifestations that occur in Europe, North and South America, and the Caribbean, and generally include specific dress, and language as well as the presence of a madman, clown or fool. People also plan and engage in  music, dance and theatre performances. Latin American magical realists, for example, explore the carnivalesque bright side. Magical realism is also linked to the realities of revolution and ongoing political instability in various regions of the world. South America, in particular, is defined by the never-ending search for a political ideal.

Magical Realist Authors

Toni Morrison

Sky Cheney-Coker 

Gabriel Garcia Marquez 

Salman Rushdie

Ben Okri

Allejo Carpentier 

Kwame Anthony Appiah 

Mario Vargas Llosa

Kojo Laing 

Isabel Allende