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Magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre in literature in which magical elements are blended into a
realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper understanding of reality. These magical elements are
explained like normal occurrences that are presented in a straightforward manner which allows the "real"
and the "fantastic" to be accepted in the same stream of thought. It has been widely considered a literary
and visual art genre; creative fields that exhibit less significant signs of magic realism include film and
music.Magic realism is defined as "what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by
something 'too strange to believe.
Fantastical elements
As recently as 2008, magical realism in literature has been defined as "a kind of modern fiction in which
fabulous and fantastical events are included in a narrative that otherwise maintains the 'reliable' tone of
objective realistic report, designating a tendency of the modern novel to reach beyond the confines of
realism and draw upon the energies of fable, folk tale, and myth while maintaining a strong contemporary
social relevance. The fantastic attributes given to characters in such novels — levitation, flight, telepathy,
telekinesis — are among the means that magic realism adopts in order to encompass the often
phantasmagorical political realities of the 20th century.
Magical Realism
In a list of characteristics describing the two styles, Roh called Expressionism ecstatic in subject,
rhythmical, extravagant, dynamic, loud, hot, rough, and thick in texture; in contrast, the New Objectivity, or
Magic Realism, he deemed sober in choice of subject, representational, severe, static, quiet, cold,
smooth, and thin. But how could such a style be considered in any way magical? For Roh, the key was a
“reengagement” with the real, what Zamora and Faris [see below] say is a “renewed delight in real
objects,” the represented surface behind which magic, in Roh’s words, “hides and palpitates.” A statement
from 1936, by artist Grethe Jurgens, makes even clearer how this “new objectivity” can also be magical:
“It is the discovery of a totally new world. One paints pots and rubbish piles, and then suddenly sees
these things quite differently, as if one had never before seen a pot. One paints a landscape, trees,
houses, vehicles, and one sees the world anew. One discovers like a child an adventure-filled land.”
Magical realism often overlaps or is confused with other genres and movements.