― Kevin Ansbro
mag·ic re·al·ism
noun
noun: magic realism; noun: magical realism
a literary or artistic genre in which realistic
narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of
dream or fantasy.
Magical realism is a genre of
both writing and art that depicts surreal elements in a natural world,
sometimes as if the magic truly belongs there.
It can be found constantly
throughout popular culture, be it vampires living in a small town, behaving
like everyday citizens (The Vampire Diaries) or a girl whose whole family
grows wings, a feat that happens nowhere else in the book but is widely
accepted as fact (The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender) and it as
a genre in literature is only trending forward. Magical realism is here to stay
believe it or not.
And don’t worry about teaching your students the
right way to appreciate these wonderful works of literature. The excellent
thing about magical realism is that while the magic is believable, it is done
in a way that still allows for personal involvement and individual
interpretation. No matter what, the reader is always in control.
In Death Constant Beyond Love, a
short story by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez the magical elements are incredibly
tangible, touchable things. In a particular scene, the main character, a
businessman is seen presenting artificial things to a town, things that
wouldn’t benefit the town as much as he says. He does this in a way that is
magical, that is so intriguing to the audience that you almost start to believe
yourself. And yet, not everyone who reads this story will fall for the magical
elements.
That is the power of reading.
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