# What is Magical Realism



## JoanDrake (Jun 27, 2008)

I am struggling through *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, and finding it not at all what I thought. I thought Magical Realism was like, say, *Blade of the Immortal,* a sort of Historical novel with Fantasy elements. 

Anyone have any insights that go beyond the Wiki article?


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## Ehkzu (Aug 1, 2008)

I'm guessing a better analog would be in these movies:

Sliding Doors, which does two what-if scenarios based on whether Gwynneth Paltow's character makes a subway train or not

Run Lola Run, another what-if that pursues a junction down both alternatives

Ponette--probably the closest. It's an insanely great, totally unpretentious French movie about a 4 1/2 year old girl whose mommy just died. At the end her mommy appears and consoles her to going on without her. The movie was so realistic otherwise that I think you're supposed to treat it symbolically rather than as if it had actually for real happened.

And now that I think of it, the form of magic realism we Yanks would enjoy most, in general, I'd guess, is David Sedaris' short stories (he wrote the Santaland Diaries and has appeared accoustically on National Public Radio often). In them he often starts out realistically and then goes off the rails, but often so subtly that you don't always notice when the memoir ends and the magic begins. It's all so humorous that it's a blast to read the guy. 

Otherwise I think magic realism is just a way of giving "realistic" writers a figleaf to dip their toes in fantasy without appearing to have gone off the reservation into--horrors--genre fictionland. 

Hope this helps.


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## Ian Whates (Aug 1, 2008)

Ehkzu said:


> I'm guessing a better analog would be in these movies:
> 
> Sliding Doors, which does two what-if scenarios based on whether Gwynneth Paltow's character makes a subway train or not
> 
> ...


 
Hmm... All of this sounds remarkably like what we in the UK categorise as 'slipstream' (a term coined originally by US author Bruce Sterling, oddly enough).


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## j d worthington (Aug 1, 2008)

What you describe in your post is more "historical fantasy". As for "magic [or magical] realism", that's a different thing entirely. You might find these helpful:

magical realism: Definition and Much More from Answers.com

especially the literary dictionary description. Borges is also well noted as someone working in this tradition, as well.

However, much of the confusion may result from the very breadth of material to which the term has also been applied:

Magic Realism

The following goes into more detail on the origins and development of the movement:

http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/hamilton/iac/magic/magic_primer.pdf

Magic realism usually applies a rather light touch, restoring the mystical and numinous to everyday life, bringing about (or attempting to bring about) a renewal of vision which allows us to see the mythic dimensions in the world around us through the perceptions of its characters.


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## Pyan (Aug 1, 2008)

Read _Midnight's Children_ by *Salman Rushdie*, Joan...that's about the closest to the concept that I've read, and gives you a pretty good comparison ...


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## the smiling weirwood (Nov 18, 2008)

I haven't read any books which explored magical realism, but the Spanish film "El Orfanato" is a very good example and one which I particularly enjoyed.


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## j d worthington (Nov 18, 2008)

the smiling weirwood said:


> I haven't read any books which explored magical realism, but the Spanish film "El Orfanato" is a very good example and one which I particularly enjoyed.


 
Nice choice, SW. A very good film indeed....


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