History and Theory of Magical Realism Literature Essays Literary Criticism

History and Theory of Magical Realism

The world is full of magical realism. Magical Realism may just become a word that people thought of in the 1930's; however, magical realism has been here for as long as the people have been able to tell and write stories. Whether the stories are true or made up, they are all magical realism.

The first author who started associating the words of magical realism to out was a German art critic, by the name of Franz Roh. Roh considered magical realism an art category. It represented and responded to reality and depicted the enigmas of reality. In Latin America in the 1940's, magical realism was a way to express the realistic American mentality and create an autonomous style of literature.

One feature of magical realism is ironic distance from the magical worldview should not compromise reality. The writer should strongly respect the magic or else the magic would go into folk belief or complete fantasy and split from the term of magic that relates it to Angel Flores (111).

Authorial reticence another feature of magical realism, refers to the lack of clear opinions of the accuracy of events of the worldviews expressed by the characters in the stories. This technique promotes acceptance in magical realism. The simple fact of explaining the supernatural worldview can be part of reality (Wendy Faris, 165).

Magical Realism can be art, poetry, and literature. Gabriel Garcia Marquez was linked to the style of literature known as magical realism. Literature is only one type of magical realism that is expressed wildely. The books of many different authors who have written literature can make a person's mind go far and beyond in their imagination.

Scott Simpkins has stated that there are no limitations on the words of magical realism. He states that the truth is that the magic realist is always short of his her goal to explain reality. Many authors state that in the material state that some are deceived by the strategies and the failure as to the way the authors portray the words of magical realism.

Wendy B. Faris wrote in her essay about children and their imagination. Children act upon their imaginations. The books that she talks about are for entertainment for readers. The fiction that Wendy B. Faris spoke is are modern and contemporary and is all basically magical realism.

Irene Guenther is an author who has spoken of expressionism describing magical realism. Irene spoke of Roger Fry and the post-impressionism. He believed that the children had their own expression. The essay that she wrote states the date of 1920 as the time of magical realism. Basically, the words magical realism has been with us for a long time. Each and every author has a different date as to when the words magical realism came into focus.

Amaryll Chanady speaks of control in her essay. Imagination and fiction are aspects of daily life. She speaks of imagination and what people are lacking in the world today. Amaryll Chanady spoke of the articles that artist and writers put in their books, and she states that they would not be able to do their thing without the imagination of magical realism.

Franz Roh spoke of magical realism compared to painting and music as well as literature. Most people may or can understand magical realism upon reading a book; however, when art and music are involved some people have trouble with comparing them to magical realism. Magical realism is offered within the music and art, and some enjoy the sounds and the looks. They do not even realize that they are actually enjoying magical realism.

Angel Flores evaluates magical realism as "Romantic" and "Poetic". He states the different opinions that other authors give. Each and every one has a different opinion of what magical realism is and does. Each author gave a different book or title of a book as an example of their interpretation of magical realism. What would this world be today if everyone had the same opinion?

Luis Leal finds that the different authors have distinguishing characteristics and a style with interest and transforming the common and everyday world into the awesome and unreal. The article Leal wrote is mentions that the authors do not agree with anything each other have to say. In reality, magical realism has basically everything each and every author has said and written about. They are all combined together as a total of magical realism. Magical realism expresses emotions of the real and the unreal. Life is magical and unreal.

The combination of the articles or essays written on magical realism provide a large impression of the meaning of magical realism. Different authors have written some great books who likes that should be read by everyone who likes to read things that have imagination and mystery. The world is full of magical realism.