What is magic realism? What is the History of Magical Realism? Characteristics of magic realism classic magic realism example modern magic realiam example

1. Magic Realism in
midnight children’s
Janvi Nakum

2. Department of English, Mkbu
202: Indian English Literature – Post – Independence
Name : Janvi Nakum
Roll No : 11
Email id : janvinakum360@gmail.com

3. About The Author
Real Name : Ahmed Salman Rushdie
Date of Birth:19 June 1947
Place of Birth: Bombay(Now Mumba in
Maharashtra) in India
Country Origin: India
Citizenship: United Kingdom, United
States(since 2006)
Father Name: Anis Ahmed Rushdie(Lawyer
turned businessman)
Mather Name: Negin Bhatt (Teacher)
Education: King’s College, Cambridge

4. What is Magic realism?
The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms defines magic
realism as a “kind of modern fiction in which fabulous and
fantastical elements are included in a narrative that maintains the
reliable tone of objective, realistic report” . Magic realism mixes and
disrupts ordinary everyday reality with strange, impossible and
miraculous episode and power in social life.
Magical realism is a genre of literature that depicts the real world as
having an undercurrent of magic or fantasy. Magical realism is a part
of the realism genre of fiction.

5. What Is the History of Magical Realism?
The term “magischer realismus,” which translates to “magic
realism,” was first used in 1925 by German art critic Franz Roh in
his book Nach Expressionismus: Magischer Realismus (After
Expressionism: Magical Realism). He used the term to describe the
“Neue Sachlichkeit,” or New Objectivity, a style of painting that
was popular in Germany at the time that was an alternative to the
romanticism of expressionism.

6. Characteristics of Magic realism
 Fantastical elements
 Hybridity
 Sense of Mystery
 Irony
 Supernatural and Natural
 Meta-Fiction
 Political Critique

7. 1.One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (1967)
2. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (1981).
3. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (1982).
4. Beloved by Toni Morrison (1987).
5. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (1989).
6. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (1994).
7. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (2013).
Classic Magical Realism Examples

8. Modern Examples of Magical Realism
 Crawl Through It by A.S. King
 Beast of Extraordinary Circumstances by Ruth Emmie Lang
 The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

10. In Midnight’s Children

11. In his essay, “Imaginary Homelands”,
Rushdie reflects the views of Jameson
and Tonkin, saying that: History is
always ambiguous. Facts are hard to
establish, and capable of being given
many meanings. Reality is built on
prejudices, misconceptions and
ignorance as well as on our
perceptiveness and knowledge.

12. On the other hand, in the novel, Midnight’s
Children, Rushdie uses the narrative style of
magic realism in which myth and fantasy are
blended with real life. He uses the narrative
technique of magic realism to blur the
distinction between fantasy and reality. He
gives an equal acceptance for the ordinary
and the extraordinary. He uses lyrical and
fantastic writing with an examination of the
character of human existence and an implicit
criticism of society, particularly the elite.
Anyway, Rushdie can be considered as a
writer who plays with the narrative technique
of magic realism. He has achieved every right
to be called one of the greatest magic realists
ever.
Similarities and Differences
Shakespeare’s treatment of magic power-
cum-reality in the play, The Tempest is to
be separated from
his use of magic art in certain other plays.
The magic elements begins in this play act
not of their own free will, but in obedience
to the will of a human being.
Moreover, supernatural beings represent
not the principle of evil, but the principle of
good.
Prospero’s magic realism is benevolent
and beneficent. This magic power is to be
distinguished from the evil art of Sycorax
who ruled over Ariel and other
Spirits on the Island.

13. Both Shakespeare and Rushdie would like to focus on the perfect picture of magic
realism through creating the characters, like Prospero, Caliban, Ariel, and Saleem Sinai
as impacted in the literary texts, The Tempest and Midnight’s Children. They also would
like to show the elements of magical realism, supernatural, fantasy, real and unreal,
mystery, and imagination of 16th century England and 20th century Indian
Subcontinent, respectively. These two texts bear the testimony of a perfect image of
magic reality of the two authors’ respective social system of the age. Prospero, with
the help of magic power, has captured his islanders. On the other hand, Saleem Sinai
has fostered a real picture of social, political, and a birth of a new nation through his
magic power

14. Works Cited
Hossain, Amir. “Studies in Linguistics and Literature ISSN 2573-6434 (Print) ISSN
2573-6426 (Online) Vol. 2, No. 2, 2018 www.scholink.or Magic Realism in
Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children.” 10 5 2018,
http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/sll.v2n2p63.
Rushdie, Salman. “Magical Realism: Definition and Examples in Literature.” Example
Articles & Resources, https://examples.yourdictionary.com/magical-realism-
definition-and-examples-in-literature.html. Accessed 3 October 2022.
“What Is Magical Realism? Definition and Examples of Magical Realism in Literature,
Plus 7 Magical Realism Novels You Should Read - 2022.” MasterClass, 23 August
2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-magical-realism.
Accessed 3 October 2022.

15. Thank you