0

Subject:

English, Category 2

Research question:

How has developing reality adapted the employment of magical realism techniques and,

consequently, altered the approach to enhancing the motif of passion, as compared in Like

Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht?

Session:

May 2018

Word count:

3,991
 1

Table of Contents

I. Introduction 3

II. Analysis 4

III. Conclusion 11

IV. Works Cited 15

 2

Imagine a fantastical world, which merges the ordinary with the extraordinary. These

realities exist within magical realism. Magical realism has existed, however unrecognizably,

for as long as humans have imagined, painted, acted, and told tales of once-upon-a-time’s and

happily-ever-after’s. It is now a recognizable genre in all art forms, but my interest specifies

with literature. As a passionate reader, I tend to lean towards fantasy fiction, sucked into

worlds where magic rings, time travel, and schools of wizardry are commonplace. However,

Franz Roh, art critique and inventor of the term magical realism, distinguishes the difference

between magical realism and fantasy fiction by emphasizing in Magical Realism Theory,

History, Community, “the mystery [of magical realism] does not descend to the represented

world but rather hides and palpitates behind it” (Leal 120). Thus, Roh describes magical

realism presenting the extraordinary existing within the ordinary, instead of alongside or

alone altogether. Knowing I preferred literature as my extended essay subject choice, I was

curious to explore the techniques authors used to create alternate realities. More specifically,

I wondered how a magical realism author manages to expertly justify the idea, or motif, of a

novel, while simultaneously conducting a new reality. Subsequently, I decided to study two

award-winning magically realistic novels: The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht and Like Water for

Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. With further research, I discovered three common motifs

between the novels: food, family and passion. I also researched the techniques for

incorporating magical realism, in order to recognize how the genre specifically contributes to

the motif. After reading the novels, it was obvious passion overpowered the alternate motifs,

consequently fixating my focus solely on passion. Also, a new prospect surfaced when I

realized the authors applied the techniques differently. At this point, my inquiry stretched to

include how and why magical realism has developed overtime, with regards to the novel’s

different publication dates. I therefore adapted my research question from solely examining

magical realism techniques to also considering how magical realism has adapted to our
 3

shifting reality. How has developing reality adapted the employment of magical realism

techniques and, consequently, altered the approach to enhancing the motif of passion, as

compared in Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and The Tiger's Wife by Téa

Obreht?

Before I address my research question, outlining the following techniques is

imperative in order to effectively study how magical realism upholds the motif. Writing is

subjective to the author; therefore, techniques vary accordingly. However, the three

techniques which are prevalent in both novels, in my opinion, are fantastical elements

authorial reticence and plenitude. I will discuss and compare how Esquivel and Obreht apply

each of the above techniques later in the essay. In order to explore the techniques, I

researched comprehendible definitions for each and their general effects in novels. Firstly,

authorial reticence is referred to by Jay Archer David, with reference to his magically

realistic novel Road Signs, as when “the narrator does not provide explanations about the

credibility of events described in the text. Further, the narrator is indifferent; the story

proceeds with ‘logical precision’ as if nothing extraordinary took place” (“Elements of

Magical Realism”). Authorial reticence is a pillar for magical realism, as questioning the

magic in a novel rebuts its contextual credibility. Secondly, Jay Archer David refers to

fantastical elements as “fabulous and fantastical events [which] are included in a narrative

that otherwise maintains the ‘reliable’ tone of objective realistic report” (“Elements of

Magical Realism”). To elaborate, fantastical elements are ‘fantastical’ events or

characteristics which are presented normally and indifferently to their impossibility of

occurring. Lastly, plenitude is referred to by Jay Archer David as “an ‘extraordinary’

abundance of disorienting detail” (“Road Signs: A Novel by Jay Archer David”). Plenitude is

applied by authors to overwhelm the reader with meticulous detail, to preclude questioning

the validity of the information. There are multiple alternate characteristics of magical realism,
 4

such as real-world setting, which is defined by writer/storyteller E.M Welsh as the “real

place” which magical realism is always “rooted in;” whereas, in fantasy, “the entire world is

usually completely made-up” (“Magical Realism: What Is It?”). However, since these

characteristics are undeniably applied, their inclusion in my study of how the techniques

support the motif of passion in Like Water for Chocolate and The Tiger’s Wife is redundant.

Therefore, I will be providing examples of authorial reticence, fantastical elements and

plenitude, respectively, for both novels; my intention for highlighting these techniques is to

compare the difference between the author’s application of each towards promoting the

motif. This comparison not only exploits the implications of the novels having been

published in different centuries, but also the impacts of the author’s contrasting cultures,

backgrounds and even languages.

Addressing the novels chronologically, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

was published in 1989 in Spanish, and was later translated to numerous languages, including

English. The novel’s setting precedes the publication date, referring to the Mexican

Revolution, which occurred from 1910 to 1920 (“Mexican Revolution”). Generally, the novel

plunges into Mexican tradition while drawing a forbidden yet unwavering love, integrating

the according misfortunes and tragedies. Specific to the topic at hand, magical realism is

distinctly recognizable in the novel; the mentioned techniques of magical realism evidently

enhance the motif by fixating on individual passion-heavy events.

Addressing each technique in order, the authorial reticence in the novel portrays

magical scenarios nonchalantly to casually enunciate the motif. For example, when Tita, the

youngest daughter and protagonist, received a bouquet of roses from Pedro, her soulmate, she

“clasped the bouquet to her chest so tightly that when she got to the kitchen, the roses, which

had been mostly pink, had turned quite red from the blood that was flowing from Tita’s hands

and breasts” (46). The authorial reticence lies in the lack of explanation for the natural
 5

impossibility of the roses absorbing the blood’s red colour; therefore, the justification for the

magical occurrence is contextually implied: Tita’s love for Pedro catalyses the roses ability to

absorb her red blood. Authorial reticence is a powerful technique because the reader is

indirectly persuaded to encourage the magic himself by interpreting the context, rather than

the author merely creating the alternate reality and presenting it to the reader. Also, the reader

is lead to develop a connection with the protagonist by possessing the sensation of knowing

the character and the reasons for their events without being told; as professor Elizabeth

Fiedler mentions in her discussion of authorial reticence in Persuasion by Jane Austin,

authors “use reticence paradoxically to communicate more to an audience than is possible or

appropriate in speech, and to compel the creation and development of intimacy with an

audience” (“A Devoted Reticence: The Art of Telling and Not Telling in Jane Austin’s

Persuasion”). To proceed, the author ascribes fantastical elements to the characters so their

actions compliment their intense emotions. In order to convert the negative energy in the

kitchen preventing Tita’s beans from cooking, she summoned “images from her first meeting

with Pedro” and “the passion with which” he interacted with her, which caused her “heart to

burst into a seething passion;” transforming the energy with her voice, “when Tita was

singing, the bean liquor was boiling madly” (198). The beans’ stubbornness embodies magic

alone, although this is beside the point because the fantastical characteristic is Tita’s ability to

convince the beans to cook by expressing her love for Pedro and changing the atmosphere to

one of fervour. The author enunciates the motif by granting passion the ability, the power, to

impossibly manipulate situation. Fantastical elements allow the author to weave magic into

the characters’ actions, so the characters can individually exhibit the intensity of their

passion. This technique also gives the author way to contextually entwine magic, as a

substitute to spelling it out for the reader. The intertextuality of reading itself is hereby

presented by fantastical elements; professor Marcin Turski refers to studies which discuss
 6

how “reading is basically a two-phase cognitive phenomenon,” asserting readers of literary

pieces subjectively adjust the text, simply because each reader will analyse the text

differently to another (“Intertextual Competence: The Reader’s Key to the Treasure”). Hence,

Esquivel’s employment of fantastical elements by contextualization further supports the

reader’s already subjective interpretation; magical realism is therefore heightened by

Esquivel utilizing fantastical elements to reinforce the irrevocability of each reader

individually perceiving the content. Finally, the author employs plenitude to heighten the

motif by imposing an overwhelming amount of detail onto the reader. At the end of the novel,

the lovers finally unite, concluding with an explosion of magic as Tita and Pedro were

“experiencing a climax so intense” that before them appeared “a brilliant tunnel” which lead

them to recover their “lost divine origin” (219-220). Then, “the fiery bodies of Pedro and Tita

began to throw off glowing sparks” as they “ignited the entire ranch” and “exploded into

multi-coloured lights” which could be seen from miles away (221). Since the novel’s events

build up to the lover’s uniting, the author uses plenitude to distinguish the climax of the

novel. Additionally, this moment embodies the most passionate scene, which is why

plenitude is the most appropriate technique, in this case, to strengthen the motif. The author

concludes the novel describing magic with detail equivalent to a literary smack in the face,

the perfect final boost of magic to end the novel.

In conclusion, Like Water for Chocolate perfectly represents the earliest magical

realism novels. Actually, the genre originated in Latin America, reaching its peak between

the years 1940 to 1950 (“Magic Realism”). Mexican Laura Esquivel, an author originating

from magical realism’s source, published this novel more or less forty years after this time

period. The magic in early magical realism novels is very unmistakeably present; there is no

argument as to whether or not the occurrences represent magic or not. For example, it is

impossible to argue the flowers absorbing Tita’s blood and changing colour is not magic,
 7

because it undoubtedly is not possible in reality. Also, early magical realism novels are

evidently entertainment-orientated. This makes sense, because the earliest magical realism

authors were influenced by the art movement which arose in Latin America in the early

nineteen-hundreds (“Latin American Art”). This movement birthed the art style Surrealism,

which is basically magical realism in painted form. Surrealistic art, like magical realism,

twists real entities into illogical forms, creating scenarios which exist only in the reality of the

artist’s imagination. Magical realism, as a literary genre, was inspired majorly by Surrealism,

birthed as a new and creative form of literary expression and enjoyment. Therefore,

surrealism’s influence on magical realism is partly why the utilization of the literary genre is

so overt in Like Water for Chocolate. Esquivel presents magical realistic events, by applying

the mentioned techniques, very observably as a reflection of the undisguised unrealistic

representations in Surrealism art. To readdress, the author also enforced each magical realism

technique I studied effectively to develop passion as the motif, diverging from and arguably

exceeding the development possible by other novelistic genres.

Next, The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht was published far more recently, in 2011 and

originally in English. Similar to Like Water for Chocolate, this novel is set during the

Croatian War of Independence, which took place from 1991 to 1995, closely preceding the

publication date (“Yugoslav Wars”). In this novel, Obreht primarily focusses on young doctor

Natalia’s relationship with her grandfather, following Natalia as she unintentionally reveals

the truth in his magical tales while pursuing her career. Zoning in on magical realism once

again, the author performs a subtler approach to integrating magic in this more modern novel,

yet still exercises the same techniques as Esquivel. The author therefore follows a tweaked

approach of utilizing magical realism techniques to nurture passion as the motif.

Complying to the order once again, the author utilizes authorial reticence,

“casualizing” realistically impossible scenarios, to demonstrate the power of passion. For

 8

instance, the author includes a simple sentence into the grandfather’s diction to explain he

“once knew a girl who loved tigers so much she almost became one herself” (4). The author

reserves an explanation as to how this could be possible, urging the reader, like with Tita’s

roses, to justify the possibility by contextualization. The reader justifies the girl being able to

turn into a tiger in connection with the only provided explanation, which is her loving the

animal profusely. Adding to the already ambiguous technique that is authorial reticence; the

reader can only rely on the author’s secondary characters’ superstitions and religious

explanations to justify this miracle. As a modern magical realism novel, this aspect presents

the choice to decide whether or not magic is present in the given example, depending on if

the reader is superstitious or devotedly religious, or not. As Professor Justin Evans states in

his study of Marilynne Robinson’s novels, “reading is reduced to the accumulation of

knowledge” (“Subjectivity and the Possibility of Change in the Novels of Marilynne

Robinson”). Therefore, each reader’s perception of magical realism’s presence in this subtle

example is subjective due to their different levels accumulated knowledge; the modern

approach to presenting magical realism subtly in novels allows the reader to determine the

presence and intensity of the magical realism presented. Contrarily, the authorial reticence

example for Like Water for Chocolate is unarguably magical realism; this comparison

highlights the shift in the reader’s approach to magical realism novels according to

subjectivity’s relevance. To continue, fantastical elements are incorporated into

characterisation to deepen the impact passion withholds. When the author describes the

power a young man’s musical passion possesses, he tells a tale of when “a wolf came to hunt

in the pasture, and Luka, instead of throwing rocks or calling for his father’s dog, subdued it

with music” (195). Luka’s ability to tame a wild animal with his music represents the

fantastical characteristic. However, “this, like so much of what is said about someone in

admiration, is probably a lie” (195). The narrator presents the account as a rumour carried by
 9

those who love the musician’s craft enough to exaggerate the truth. The quote does imply a

great contribution to the motif, since it represents the power of the musician’s passion.

However, the reader is once again granted the option to either amuse the magic or accept the

myth as a fable. Whereas, in the previous novel, the example for fantastical elements of Tita

persuading the beans to cook with passion is far more unambiguous, leaving the author with

little ability to rebuff the magical realism. Lastly, the author exploits plenitude by, opposing

authorial reticence, fully explaining magical scenarios to tend to the motif. An example is the

author’s lengthy breakdown of the deathless man cheating death to save his lover: he predicts

his lover’s upcoming death by reading the “little path away from her” in her coffee grit,

cheating death by helping her break the cup only healthy participants are meant to break,

which she hits “three times on the side of her bed before it breaks” owing to her weakness

(184). Obreht describes the deathless man’s approach to cheating death with detail,

exemplifying a passionate scene infused with desperation. A reader could interpret the

assertion of magical realism in this example; likewise, a reader could consider the impeded

medical field of the time, which may have directed the belief in magical healing practices. On

the other hand, questioning if the climax scene in Like Water for Chocolate represents

magical realism is close to impossible, as, contextually, it leaves little to no room for

argument. Thus, the utilization of plenitude, as well as the alternate discussed techniques, in

the novel The Tiger’s Wife exemplifies the relevance of subjectivity in modern magical

realism novels. The interpretation of magical realism in The Tiger’s Wife relies far more on

the individual reader than in Like Water for Chocolate. Additionally, modern magical realism

novels evidently include a deeper perception of what makes reality, with reference to the

reader’s perception. As author Anne C. Hegerfeldt justifies in her study of magical realism,

“reality is not merely a matter of the physical senses and empirical observation, but that

other, non-material factors such as language and belief also enter into human constructions of
 10

the world, and must therefore be acknowledged” (“Lies That Tell the Truth: Magic Realism

Seen Through Contemporary Fiction from Britain”). Hegerfeldt continues to enunciate the

importance of the reader’s subjectivity in relation to interpreting magical realism, stating,

“[constructed knowledge] must still be taken seriously because of the ways in which belief

may shape reality.” To revisit, Obreht successfully incorporates the exact same techniques to

enunciate passion as the motif. However, the comparison of magical realism’s presentation

between the novels no longer retires at the overtness of the magic being presented, but

extends to reflect upon the importance of defining reality for each novel, and recognizing the

modern reader’s subjectivity to magical realism.

Ultimately, The Tiger’s Wife portrays the way which magical realism is incorporated

in more current novels. As the genre has developed, authors have continuously applied their

take on incorporating magic into reality up until today. Simultaneously, humans have

opportunely improved in all aspects, affirming the importance of constructed knowledge

discussed by Hegerfeldt. Authors resign to more plausible magic to maintain the balance

between magic and reality, as to avoid shifting into fantasy. However, the comparison no

longer resides to the plausibility of magic alone, but also the shifting definition of reality.

Nonetheless, the adjustments to newer magical realism novels are no less entertaining than

before. Actually, the layers of ambiguity created are arguably more entertaining and thought-

provoking; the reader is given space to interpretation, rather than merely accepting the

author’s illustration. However, it is important to reiterate the shift in application of the

magical realism techniques in no way hinders the contributions magical realism provides the

motif. Obreht, like Esquivel, successfully enforces magical realism techniques to fully

expand passion in each scenario.

The largest comparison between the way which Esquivel and Obreht apply magical

realism techniques is distinguishability. In Like Water for Chocolate, magic is presented

 11

overtly; there is no arguing whether or not the author is incorporating magic. This is

especially true due to the narration being in present tense. Although it is mostly third person

narration, the magic within the scenarios above is described as it happens. Whereas, in The

Tiger’s Wife, the examples provide readers the option to individually accept or deny whether

the author is referring to magic or not. Obreht provides this opportunity by including magic in

a far subtler manner. Also, the narration regarding the magical inclusions is all in past tense

because they are presented through Natalia’s grandfather’s stories. Therefore, the reader is no

longer witnessing the magic as it happens, but rather recounting the magic alongside the

primary character; the reader is experiencing the magical realism events, rather than

observing, eliciting the importance of subjectivity. The revelation I have encountered

regarding magical realism’s development as a genre concerns the shift from objectivity to

subjectivity. Magical realism had multiple authorial promoters when the genre was first

created; an Italian writer named Massimo Bontempelli, a well-known magical realism

enthusiast, believed literature could be used to create a “collective consciousness,” and used

his work to inspire the notion of Fascism to the Italian government (“Stracittá”). Fascism

screams objectivity, encouraging a dictatorship to take total control over the masses. Thus

magical realism, when it began, was objective in itself while also promoting objectivity. The

readers were not only forced by their own obliviousness to reflect on magical realism novels

at the same level, but also indirectly persuaded to project and support objectivity in their

lives. Nonetheless, as time went by, individuality has become a more encouraged notion than

uniformity. Correspondently, magical realism has adapted by integrating magic less

forcefully to refrain from over-including magic and resembling fantasy novels. Consequently,

recognizing magic in magical realism novels is now subjective to the reader. Since, generally

speaking, readers are more knowledgeable and less dependent on superstitious practices,

recognizing magical realism in a novel depends on an individual and his characteristics, such
 12

as his background, culture, upbringing, religion and education. Therefore, what one reader

might recognize as magical realism, another might oversee completely. Although it may seem

otherwise, this transformation provides positive implications regarding the genre. To start,

magical realism authors have developed to expertly incorporate magic in a manner, which

convinces sterner, more astute readers; thus, magical realism has become more complex. On

the other side, readers are now granted the option to compare their understandings and study

the reasons behind different interpretations. This encourages readers to expand their

understanding as well as become more open to opinions and which might differ from theirs;

readers are urged to interpret the novel from multiple standpoints. Recognizably, these

characteristics which magical realism now inspire are reinforced by the IB Learner Profile,

which rewards individuality and encourages open-mindedness. Henceforth, the genre’s

development not only signifies its own improvement, but also symbolizes human’s

progression as time moves forward. Encompassing the implications of narration and

subjectivity, the development of magical realism as a notion has also impacted its literary

genre. In the novel Lies That Tell the Truth: Magic Realism Seen through Contemporary

Fiction from Britain, Anne C. Hegerfeldt addresses the definition of “magic” in magical

realism as Franz Roh intended compared to its usage in literature: “Roh intends it to refer to

the sense of newness with which quotidian reality is endowed through painterly emphasis on

clarity and clinical detail, whereas in current literary usage, ‘magic’ designates first and

foremost the opposite of ‘realistic.’” Roh conceived the term magical realism with reference

to art, which describes the style as overt and detailed; Like Water for Chocolate and other

early magical realism novels reflect this early definition, as discussed above, with obvious

and unquestionable magical realism representations. Otherwise, magical realism in literature

is events which are, in any way, impractical or unexpected. This adjustment to the

understanding of current magical realism literature justifies the magic’s ambiguity in The
 13

Tiger’s Wife and alternate current magical realism novels. Hence, magical realism has not

only developed as a genre due to the adaption of the techniques to our developing reality,

including the reader, but also due to the development in our understanding of what magic

represents; By understanding the effects of human development and the development of

magical realism as a genre authors can maintain the line between fantasy and magical

realism.

Studying Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and The Tiger’s Wife by Téa

Obreht enabled me to track magical realism’s development from the early nineteen

hundredths up until today. I have compared the approaches to the same magical realism

techniques between authors, which stood on opposite ends of the genre’s timeline, discussing

the shift from an overt to a subtle approach. More importantly, interpreting the human

behavioural drift from objectivism to subjectivism has appropriately justified why magical

realism authors have adapted their strategies. In order for magical realism to correlate to its

definition, which also has developed as a notion, a balance between the magic and the reality

must exist to avoid becoming fantastical; the authors must adapt their techniques to keep up

with our reality, which is dynamic due to constant advancements. Additionally, a reference

back to magical realism during its birth has brought me to a new understanding: literature not

only possesses the power to broaden our minds, but also to advocate change in our society.

Our world is influenced by literature as effectively as the latter is shaped by the former.

Magical realism is one genre, which has indirectly encouraged readers to expand their

individual understandings, as well as celebrate subjectivity and discourage biases. With this

new understanding, I now realize the extent to which I underestimated the impact Literature,

as an art form, has on society. Perhaps, just maybe, the magical realities authors create to

inspire the world today could be looked at in the future as just reality.
 14

Works Cited

“Elements of Magical Realism.” Michelle Witte - Read. Write. Edit., 10 Apr. 2017,

michellewittebooks.com/2015/09/elements-of-magical-realism/.

Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate. Doubleday Dell, 1989.

Evans, Justin. “Subjectivity and the Possibility of Change in the Novels of Marilynne

Robinson.” Questia Schools, 2014, www.questiaschool.com/library/journal/1G1-

371969620/subjectivity-and-the-possibility-of-change-in-the.

Fiedler, Elizabeth. “A Devoted Reticence: The Art of Telling and Not Telling in Jane Austen's

Persuasion.” Questia Schools, Gale Group, 2004, www.questiaschool.com/read/1G1-

132189716/a-devoted-reticence-the-art-of-telling-and-not-telling.

Hegerfeldt, Anne C. Rodopi, 2005, www.questiaschool.com/read/117692972/lies-that-tell-the-

truth-magic-realism-seen-through.

“Latin American Art.” Britannica School, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 May 2012,

school.eb.co.uk/levels/advanced/article/Latin-American-art/345122#253330.toc.

“Magic Realism.” Britannica School, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2017,

school.eb.co.uk/levels/advanced/article/magic-realism/126150.

“Mexican Revolution.” Britannica School, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Jan. 2011,

school.eb.co.uk/levels/advanced/article/Mexican-Revolution/52382.

Obreht, Téa. The Tiger's Wife. Random House, 2011.

Oregonian, Special to The. “'The Tiger's Wife' Review: Tea Obreht's First Novel Fleshes Out

Richness of Balkan Complexities.” OregonLive.com, The Oregonian, 19 Mar. 2011,

www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2011/03/the_tigers_wife_review_ta_obre.html.

Schwenz, Caroline Lee. “Magical Realism.” Postcolonial Studies, July 2012,

scholarblogs.emory.edu/postcolonialstudies/2014/06/21/magical-realism/.
 15

“Stracittá.” Britannica School, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2017,

school.eb.co.uk/levels/advanced/article/stracitt%C3%A0/125542.

Turski, Marcin. “Intertextual Competence: The Reader's Key to the Treasure.” Questia Schools,

Gale Group, 2001, www.questiaschool.com/read/1G1-92803262/intertextual-competence-

the-reader-s-key-to-the-treasure.

Welsh, E.M. “Magical Realism: What Is It?” E.M. Welsh, www.emwelsh.com/blog/magical-

realism.

“Yugoslav Wars.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Oct. 2017,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslav_Wars.