Defining Magical Realism

Magical Realism---
Magical Realism is a literary style or genre which incorporates fantasy and magic like features into a realistic plot line, adding more depth and making the borderline between reality and fantasy vague. Although this type of literature would seem like it would stand out, it does not, surprisingly; due to the fact that whenever it is used in literature, the narrator states the fact very smooth and casually. "Magic realism fuses (1) lyrical and, at times, fantastic writing with (2) an examination of the character of human existence and (3) an implicit criticism of society, particularly the elite."

Magic Realism was more often used in Latin American literature, where it was easier to express these fantasy like features with the almost 'magical' like natural land features in those countries.

The person who first used this term "Magical Realism" is a art historian, Franz Roh, in 1925. He created this term to express different characteristics than Expressionism, which is a term (apparently) to reflect what is "ecstatic in subject,  rhythmical, extravagant, dynamic, loud, hot, rough, and thick in
texture".Magic Realism, on the other hand, " he deemed sober in choice of subject, representational, severe, static, quiet, cold, smooth, and thin."

Marquez Biography

Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Columbian novelist, short story writer, screen writer, and a journalist. He was born in the town of Aracataca, Columbia in March 6, 1927. He was sent to a school for the gifted at the age of fifteen, and studied law and journalism there. He started his job as a journalist when he was studying law (he gave up law to follow his dream as a writer) at the University of Cartagena, and he joined an unofficial writers group because he became very motivated and inspired after reading works from influential writers such as William Faulkner. He married Mercedes Barcha, whom he met while she was in collage, and married after he came back to Barranquilla in 1958. They had two children, Rodrigo and Gonzales.

While working as an journalist as his main occupation, he wrote many works, non-fiction and fiction, his first story, “The Third Resignation” was written in 1947. He wrote many articles about the communist movements in Columbia, and he is not limited to that topic, he wrote stories and articles, not only political, but about history and mythology, autobiography as well. He is an active person, and he is travelling around the world, mostly Mexico, America, and Europe, most of the time. In July 1999, he was hospitalized, and diagnosed with lymphatic cancer, but is still fighting with it now.

Shooting an Elephant

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