Magic Realism Kristina Klein Kelly Terrell What is

Magic Realism Kristina Klein Kelly Terrell

What is Magic Realism? Combines a realistic portrayal of life with fantastic elements

More Elements of Magic Realism Fantastic elements are never explained Characters never question the fantastic element Causation Distorts time; often cyclical Union of opposites (life and death, etc. ) Irony and paradox

History Term first used by Franz Roh (1920 s) Borges’ History of Evil (1935) considered first example of Magic Realism by some Break from Realism: rejection of old forms of literature Become popular in 1960 s and 70 s

Art Magic realism used to describe American painting 1920 s-50 s Extremely realistic, unlike the literature of magic realism

Film Being John Malkovich Big Fish Donnie Darko Edward Scissorhands Field of Dreams Harvey What Dreams May Come

Latin American Authors Jorge Louis Borges Isabel Allende Juan Rulfo Gabriel García Márquez Julio Cortázar

Gabriel García Márquez One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)- most widely read example of magic realism Grotesque carnival Paradoxical bodily disgust and celebration Ironic distance

Bibliography http: //www. english. emory. edu/Bahri/M agical. Realism. html http: //www. artcyclopedia. com/history/ magic-realism. html http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Magic_reali sm