Magic Realism: Common Characteristics

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2 years ago

As what I have mentioned in previous article, that one of my favorite literally genre/style is the Magic Realism. For today's topic, I would like to share my previous knowledge about this literally style. Hope you will get some additional learnings, and can ask questions for clarification/s.

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Magic Realism or Marvelous Realism is a literary genre that present the real-world as magical and fantasy, that the world contains "supernatural, surreal, and bizarre elements". We have here the term "surreal", which presents the surrealism, but what's the difference of this in Magic Realism is that; Surrealism focus on dreams and reality as one, while Magic Realism contains supernatural entities, not as a dream, but the reality.

The term Magic Realism was coined by Franz Roh in his painting. This style still shows what a real world is, but with the use of supernatural entities; in here horror genre exist. For you to better understand we have here;

Characteristics of Magic Realism

Rooted in Reality

From the word "realism", this Magic Realism should be real, that's mean the settings of the story must take place in a real place. If you have watched the animated series Trese, this is also an example of series with magic realism genre, then you can observed that the settings of the story took place in a real street/address. Another example, is a movie with an ordinary family transferring in another house, which is an ordinary scenario of some family, there's a conflict and some reason why they need to transfer, then here it comes a ghost exist.

Deals with Supernatural Entities

Magic Realism deals with the appearance of the paranormal or anything that is at odds with how we often perceive reality, but it is however not separated from reality. Do you believe in ghost? That's part of magic realism.

Elements of Fantasies, Magic, Metafiction

Since supernatural exists in this genre then fantasies, magic and metafiction took place. Aside from ghost, we some characters with magic, and stories about fantasies that still somewhat talks about what reality is.

Incorporates Legend and Folklore

Most of our beliefs and stories about supernaturals came from our ancestors, great-great grandparents, in which we still embrace up to these days, and the prevalence of the paranormal is sometimes linked to the prehistoric.

Inverts Cause and Effect

This is usually in written works, and since movie is more preference than book then just think about those horror movies that you have watched, you may observed that most stories start with dealing that particular entities, and at the climax or falling action of the movie you will find out the reason of it's death, cause of revenge and anger. For example in the movie "The Ring", that the white lady was once a young girl but died due to drowning in the well.

Uses Symbol and Imagery

Just like surrealism, magic realism also consist symbols in characters, objects, place and events in the story. And if you read written work, you will observed that writers use imagery to describe the scenario of the story.


That's it everyone! Just a short explanation about what Magic Realism is. I also recommend the novel Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo, if you want to read some written works made with magic realism writers such as;

  • Gabriel Garcia Marquez

  • Tonni Marrison

  • Haruki Murakami

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July 9, 2022

-Ling

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2 years ago

Comments

Many symbols I have seen from various magic acts and shows and my question is where did they get them from? is there a voice or scream from the spirit..

$ 0.00
2 years ago

Ako din Ling mahilig din ako sa mga magic realism! Nakabili ako ng book ni Gabriel Garcia Marquez pero hindi magic realism yung genre. Romance siya and ang ganda. Yung title ng book ay "Love in the time of Cholera."

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2 years ago

Here we go again. One of the subjects I'm into! I believe in everything spiritual and mystical kahit opposite sya sa faith ko. I think it is because I am an empath.

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2 years ago

mystical things or ghosts and magic often occur in combination which results in something happening from strangeness because the way it works is always beyond human reason.

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2 years ago

This article is one I like the most, because I already understand the word Magic but behind it, I did not understand at all, but after reading it it actually gave me understanding, I am thankful for not skipping this one.

$ 0.01
2 years ago

I'm so glad that you fully understand my simple explanation. Thank you so much Dawn:)

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2 years ago

Yes always hehe

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2 years ago

Wow my friend, your article was very interesting to me, I always thought that surrealism is magical realism. And now I realized with your words that they are different. Surrealism unites dreams and reality, while magic realism deals with real supernatural beings such as ghosts. With these interpretations, magical realism has a lot to say about the unknown.

$ 0.01
2 years ago

Thanks for appreciating my simple explanation Sis, and yes that's magic realism, not just ghost but about magic, and fantasies :)

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2 years ago

Sister I am not blind follower of magic realism. I like my individual thinking about original world. We should learn about supernatural things but it didn't mean we follow them. Surrealism, realism and painful task are full of trails.

$ 0.01
2 years ago

I do agree that we should learn about them, and I even believe that they are not all bad:)

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2 years ago

I've read some works of magic realism but I didn't know it's already is hahaha.

$ 0.01
2 years ago

Me too actually hhaha, just knew it because of our literature subject before.

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2 years ago

hahaha well, thanks to you I was able to know it now😄

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2 years ago

I enjoyed and learned reading your articles on surrealism and magic realism. Long ago (maybe, in 1988), I had read a novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (English translation, perhaps the original is in Spanish). I may reread it because I forgot the details, and I will explore it now after many more years of exposure to life.

$ 0.02
2 years ago

So you're interested about literature too? So amazing of you, actually I'm not into reading novels/history but as I discovered more interesting things about it, then I tried to learn more:)

$ 0.01
2 years ago