Three Elements Of Magical Realism
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By Sunaina Menezes: FYBA B Roll No 160
"If you can explain it, then it 's not magical realism" a statement by Luis Leal the Mexican critic aptly shows the difficulty in defining Magical Realism. A popular genre in Latin America, the origin can be traced to the 1920s and 1930s when writers from the sub-continent travelled to Paris or Berlin and were influenced by artistic movements such as Surrealism. Writings of Alejo Carpentier and Venezuelan Arturo Uslar-Pietri reflect such an influence.
There is a great deal of overlap between the three types of Speculative fiction - Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror. Supernatural and Magic form a primary element of either plot, setting, theme or all three in the Fantasy genre. The strange and unreal is explained “by means of divine intervention, magic, or other supernatural forces.” The entire story might take place in a fantasy world, with distinct laws of nature that permit magic, wholly different from our own, as in the Harry Potter series.
As opposed to the above genres, Marvelous realism now known as Magical Realism is marked by an acceptance of magic in the rational world. In the context of fables, myths and allegory it is often called Fabulism.
Italian Massimo Bontempelli, said that “literature could be a means to create a collective consciousness by opening new mythical and magical perspectives on reality"
“The Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier originated the term
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