Magical realism is a genre that blends realistic fiction with surreal or magical elements. In magical realism, the magic is presented as a natural part of the world described in the story. It is set in a realistic environment rather than a fantasy land, and the plot and characters are realistic aside from the inclusion of magical events. Magical realism originated in Latin America in the works of authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and is characterized by mundane settings with the matter-of-fact inclusion of fantastical occurrences.

1. Magical Realism in Literature

2.  Is a literary genre in which realistic narrative is combined with
surreal elements.
 (Surreal – Adj. : Very Strange and Unusual; Having the quality of
dream)
 In it, the magic elements are a natural part of the world
Magical realism

3.  “Magic”
 The magic in the story is often strange (it doesn’t seem to fit in with the
world as we know it) but it is accepted in the story.
 The magic is seamlessly integrated with the real world
 “Real”
 Stories take place in a realistic setting. (the story is based in the ‘real
world’ rather than the fantasy land )
 Aside from the magical part, the plot is realistic and believable.
 Characters are also realistic and deal with everyday issues.
The ‘Magic’ and ‘Real’ Part

4.  Magical realism takes place in the realistic setting, in regards to
time and place, rather than a fantasy world or futuristic space.
How is it different from Science fiction or Fantasy?
Magical Realism is a Style
 There is a poetic nature to the prose
 There is magical element in the plot but in the writing too

5.  Coined by German art critic, Franz Roh to describe art.
 In the Mid-20th C., became commonly associated with the Latin American writers
and literature
 Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Columbia, 1927
 Jorge Luis Borges, Argentina, 1899-1986
 Gunter Grass, Germany, 1927
 Salman Rushdie India, 1947
History & Prominent Writers

6.  He lived in Aracataca, Colombia, a banana town by the Caribbean.
 His grandparents were his most important relatives, and influenced him and his
writing later on.
 His grandfather was a general, a hero and a great story teller.
 His grandmother was very superstitious. She filled the house with stories of ghosts
and premonitions.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

7.  1. The frame or surface of the work may be conventionally realistic, even mundane.
 2. Elements of fairy tale, mythology or other supernatural elements combine with
everyday people, settings, and situations.
 3. Dreams are described often and in vivid detail
 Characters usually consider dreams as premonitions
 Dreams very often come true
 4. Characters do not often question these surreal occurrences; they are accepted and
dealt with as natural, even expected.
 5. Stories have a strong narrative drive, meaning that the surreal elements do not
drive the story, only enhance it.
Characteristics of Magical Realism

9. Origin of Magical Realism
• Mainly Latin-American narrative strategy
• Characterized by the matter-of-fact inclusion of fantastic or mythical
elements into seemingly realistic fiction.
• Appears in the literature of many cultures across many ages
• The term magical realism is a relatively recent, first applied in the 1940s by
Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier, who recognized this characteristic in
much Latin-American literature.
• Some of the well-known Latin-American magical realists is the
Colombian Gabriel García Márquez, the Brazilian Jorge Amado, the
Argentines Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, and the Chilean Isabel
Allende.

10. Elements of Magical Realism
• Characters who seem ordinary in seemingly ordinary situations
• Realistic settings that include ordinary details of everyday life
• Something being "off" about the situation
• Fantastic or strange events that intrude upon the situation
• Characters who seem unimpressed or undisturbed by fantastic
events
• An accepting or unimpressed narrative tone/attitude that
presents the fantastic events as logical parts of life