Reading "The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World" & "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Watching "Being John Malkovich" by Spike Jonze
Reflective Essay #5
April 16, 2013
Catalyst for the reality: Magic Realism
Magic Realism is a genre where magical elements are blended with realistic descriptions and settings. Compared to what had been so far discussed and what had been so far dominated 1900s, This relatively new genre seems to have come out from nowhere: Starting from realism through modernism to post-modernism, there had been a tradition in the field of literature to portray objects in sincere, honest tone. Though some form of transcendentalism was used in an attempt to uncover confound, profound meanings, there never had been a genre that is so unrealistic like magic realism.
Raising the question of its origin, there accompanies the question asking about the meaning beneath this genre: What is this genre for? Does it educate people? Does it give us lessons? Because magic realism literature contains magical element, its situation seems completely off to our world, thus arguably raising the question of its meaning. Since it seems distant to our world, it seems that this magic realism doesn't give us any lessons or any leftovers except catharsis from magical things. So what does this genre stand for? Only joy?
Here I raise somewhat different perspective in analyzing magic realism. Other than joy or catharsis that is aroused from magical elements, I would like to state that magic realism has its importance in revealing "whatness", or essence of us, normal ones reacting to magical incidents. Magical element in magic realism, I would state, has distinct meaning in this genre in that it acts as a catalyst for the normal world. It is not the magical element itself that is important, but rather it is our reaction to the magic. Given such frustrating situation, the situation that we had never confronted before, we, beings of the normal world, demonstrates various reaction to the magic. And the deepest meaning of magic realism, I believe, lies here. How we encounter and overcome this magical elements are things that magic realism literature wants to observe: for instance, in the case of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings", distinct characters react in different ways: The main characters of the story, Pelayo and Elisenda, earns money from the magical element descended from heaven, an old man with wings. They gradually thinks of this old man as a source for their living, and the reverence and fear they had on this angel gradually wanes. Meanwhile, people who came to see this angel commit violent things to the man to see his reaction such as throwing stones or even "burning his sides with an iron for branding steers". Their interest however is transmitted to a more interesting figure, a woman who turned into a spider. Here we see how normal ones act upon magical element: underlying capitalism or cruelty is then revealed after they encounter this magic. In the case of "The Handsomest Drowned Man in The World", the reactions of villagers (children, women, and men) are intensively described along with the portrayal of incidents. The case of magic realism movie "Being John Malkovich" too demonstrates the essence of the people, whereas the character attempts to fulfill her lesbian fantasies through a magical element that leads her to go inside to a man's body.
Magic Realism indeed give us joy and catharsis from incidents that never would seem to happen to us, but it is not the only role of this genre. Through magical elements, this genre seeks to dig into our essence, our true identity. In this sense, the magical element in magic realism literature is a mirror that reveals and reflects our inner selves.
