Magic Realism - Writers Forum

Heathoa · 07-01-2007, 09:36 PM

So... I'm not entirely clear on the difference between magic realism and fantasy. I know that magic realism is the style of having something "magical" in a realistic setting, but isn't Harry Potter the same? Or is Harry Potter magic realism?

Does anyone have some examples besides Marvel Comics? I'm thinking about writing a magic realism short story... need ideas and advice.

mandax · 07-01-2007, 09:48 PM

I forgot what short story I read, but it involved a typical day ... the entire setting seemed very "realistic", but then there was a fallen angel that just randomly entered the plot ... but they made it seem almost real, not describing it just as a fallen angel and something accepted, but something that the people didn't understand. It made the magic seem real. But the magic isn't a huge part of the setting. Harry Potter is ALL magic. Stories that are generally realistic with only a small amount of the magic element are what I think of as magic realism. I could be wrong.

Ilasir Maroa · 07-01-2007, 10:52 PM

Wow, did a shool project on that back in middle school.

Stories without actual magic. More like rituals, or supernatural stuff. Dreams are given weight, ghosts in minehsafts of long dead miners. People's perception of the world. Astrology, folk-lore, the subconcious. Also, premonitins, prophecies, natural omens. All of these have a place in magical realism.

Mike C · 07-02-2007, 06:59 AM

This might help: http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/MagicalRealism.html

bunnybadass · 07-02-2007, 12:46 PM

[quote=mandax]I forgot what short story I read, but it involved a typical day ... the entire setting seemed very "realistic", but then there was a fallen angel that just randomly entered the plot ... but they made it seem almost real, not describing it just as a fallen angel and something accepted, but something that the people didn't understand. It made the magic seem real. quote]

kinda sounds like 'A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez...he's a pretty well known magical realist.

to my understanding magical realism is a genre where a lot of the time, like mandax said, the magic is sort of accepted even if not understood. it's never completely questioned and as a reader, you are meant to believe the 'magical' things that are happening without really questioning them.
i actually took a class on magical realism in literature last semester and loved it. one of the things i learned is that magical realism is also very hard to be defined, but when you read it, you know it.
if your interested in reading some m.r. some of the stories i enjoyed are
Chronicle of a Death Foretold-Garcia Marquez
The South-Luis Borges
The Porcelain Doll-Leo Tolstoy
In the Land of Magic-Henri Michaux
Aura-Carlos Fuentes

Heathoa · 07-02-2007, 10:15 PM

Yeah... I studied magic realism my junior year of high school, but what does that say? All I could remember was what I described in my previous post. Thanks Mike for the link - it's very helpful. And I might check out one of those books you listed, bunny... reading is the best cure for writing.

Has anyone written any magic realism?

Patrick Beverley · 07-03-2007, 05:46 AM

Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie, is a very fine magic realist book, involving psychic communication and magicians alongside the very real transition of India into independence.

Unconscious · 07-13-2007, 05:45 PM

Perhaps reading about Runcasting will help. This is a well practised form of magic, normally used by Odinist or Asatru. Runic divination - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm not sure if this is relevant -- but putting forward my thoughts can't hurt, can it?