Magic Realism in Latin Magic Realism in Latin AmericaAmerica

By

Sean Willson-Schafer

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Magic RealismMagic Realism

• What is Magic Realism?• What are it’s origins?• How did it come to be so popular in

Latin America?• Key contributors to the movement in

Latin America?• Important works?

Origins from European ArtOrigins from European Art

• Term first used by German art critic Franz Roh• “Magical Realism: Post-expressionism” - 1925• Needed a new term to describe this art• Art Movement gained popularity in Europe• Using the Post-Expressionist style, but borrowing from

Expressionism• Return to a more realistic style• Integrates the exaggerated and surreal

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Jump to Latin AmericaJump to Latin America

• Ideas of magic realism were already in use• Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Existentialism

• Late 19th century- Latin American Literature changes

• Less historical focus• More romantic and realistic stories

• Franz Roh’s essay translated into Spanish -1927• Influence from the Post-Expressionism movement

in Europe

Jump to Latin AmericaJump to Latin America

• Continuation of Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism

• Horacio Quiroga, Antonio Argerich, Lucio V. López, Eugenio Cambaceres, Julian Martel

• Idea of combining reality with the fantastic or surreal

• Jorge Luis Borges• Combined realism and fantasy• Influenced by Franz Kafka and H.G. Wells

• Borges is the link to the Magic Realism movement- Not the beginning

Magic Realism In Latin AmericaMagic Realism In Latin America

• Arturo Uslar Pietri- Letras y hombres de Venezuela - 1948

“What became prominent in the short story and left an indelible mark there was the consideration of man as a mystery

surrounded by realistic facts. A poetic prediction or a poetic denial of reality. What for lack of a better name could be called a

magical realism” -Pietri (Leal 120).

• Latin American authors embraced this idea and magic realism was born.

Magic Realism In Latin AmericaMagic Realism In Latin America

• Author’s begin to focus on the ideas of Magic Realism- Late 1940’s, 50’s, 60’s

• Pietri, Miguel Angel Asturias, Alejo Carpentier, Lino Nová Calvo, Juan Rulfo, Julio Cortázar

• Confronted the mysteries of reality

• Gabriel García Márquez- One Hundred Years of Solitude - 1967

• Combined magic realism with what was also used before the movement

• Why so popular in Latin America?

What does this all mean?What does this all mean?Defining Magic RealismDefining Magic Realism

• Realistic situations with a mysterious or unexplainable event accepted as a normal occurrence

• In Magic Realism, nothing is considered strange• Some events are not logical

• What is truth is sometimes unclear• Everything is left up to the reader

• Ending is not given- The pieces are presented and the reader must put them together

• The “magical” aspect has no explanation

“The principle thing is not the creation of imaginary beings or worlds but the discovery of the mysterious relationship between man and his circumstances” (Leal 122).

Works CitedWorks Cited• Flores, Angel. "Magical Realism in Spanish American Fiction." Magical Realism: Theory,

History,Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham: Duke UP, 1995. 109-117.

• Jupp, James C. "The Necessity of the Literary Tradition: Gabriel García Márquez's 'One-Hundred Years of Solitude.'" English Journal 89.3 (Jan. 2000): 113-115. 26 Feb.2008 <http://www.jstor.org/view/00138274/ap030817/03a00240/0?searchUrl=http%3a//www.jst or.org/search/BasicResults%3fhp%3d25%26si%3d1%26gw%3djtx

%26jtxsi%3d1%26jcpsi%3d1%26artsi%3d1%26Query%3dMagical%2brealism% 2b%252B%2blatin%2bamerica%26wc%3don&citationAction=save&charset=u&frame=noframe&dpi=3&userID=95af6ffb@lclark.edu/01c0a848660050da149&currentResult=00138274%2bap030817%2b03a00240%2b0%2c06&config=jstor& citationPath=00138274-ap030817-03a00240&PAGE=0 >.

• Leal, Luis. "Magical Realism in Spanish American Literature." Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Trans. Wendy B. Faris. Durham: Duke UP, 1995. 119-124.

• Roh, Franz. "Magic Realism: Post-Expressionism." Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Trans. Wendy B. Faris. Durham: Duke UP, 1995. 15-31.

• Salgado, Maria A. "Trends of Spanish American Fiction since 1950." South Atlantic Bulletin 43. 1 (Jan. 1978): 19-29. Jstor. 26 Feb. 2008 <http://www.jstor.org/view/00382868/sp040181/04x2781y/0?searchUrl=htt

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