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Learning Outcomes benilde

1. Define the concept of magical realism by examining the

possibility of magic coexisting with reality to establish its place
in literature.

2. Determine such possibility by illustrating the process through

textual samples, short story or film to arrive at conclusive proof
of its possibility.

3. Illustrate how fantasy influence magical realism by determining

its distinction to establish that fantasy is just an integral part of
the genre.

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Discussion Questions benilde

1. Is it possible that magic and reality coexist in one plane

or dimension?

2. What is magical realism, how and where it originated?

3. What is the role of fantasy in magic realism?

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List of Topics

1. Magical Realism
-origin and development

2. Elements of Magic Realism

3. Fantasy in Magic Realism

4. Magical Realism in Movies

-analysis based on 6 characteristics
5. 6 Characteristics of
Magical Realism

6. Application to film of
6 Characteristics
A literary style or a genre of fiction in which magical
elements are blended seamlessly with a realistic setting,
usually to produce a deeper understanding for reality
MAGICAL REALISM IS WHAT HAPPENED
WHEN A HIGHLY DETAILED REALISTIC
SETTING IS INVADED BY SOMETHING
TOO STRANGE TO BELIEVE.
MAGICAL REALISM IS LIKE AN OXYMORON.
TWO NATURES THAT SEEM TO OPPOSE
EACH OTHER BUT WHEN PUT TOGETHER
CREATE A PECULIAR GENRE
 Origins of
Magical Realism
1925 Nach Expressionismus: Magischer Realismus
-Franz Roh
referring to a style that depicts a mundane, realistic subject matter,
but accentuated with strange and dreamlike qualities that allows
one to reevaluate “reality”

1927 Nach Expressionismus: Magischer Realismus

-translated into Spanish
-Alejo Carpentier developed marvelous realism

1955 Angel Flores- magical realism- combination of

magic realism and marvelous realism.
Jorge Luis Borges- Historia Universal de la
Infamia, 1935 (A Universal History of Infamy).

1967 Gabriel Garcia Marquez published One Hundred

Years of Solitude.
Nikolai Gogol
1809-1852
The Nose
1836
Elements of Magical Realism
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Elements of Magic Realism benilde

1. It has to be rooted in reality.

-fictional events of the narrative should take place in an
ordinary world.

2. Casual introduction of SE
-folk tales, myths, ghost stories, novel ideas
-no structure or explanation of the magical oddities
-characters react emotionally, instead of asking how it all works.

3. Social commentary
-uses magical factors to bring forward progressive ideas and
political commentary
-commitment to reality makes it a powerful tool to comment on
fascism, racism, and colonialism
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Magical Realism in Film benilde

1. As the film critic Tom Gunning points out, if film is considered

to be a narrative art form it is one of the most directly realistic,
as there is often no apparent narrator and the action and the
actors appear to be real, actual and present: ‘its inherent
photographic tendency towards mimesis, toward the
representation of a world from which the filmic narrator can
seem to be absent’ (1999:465).

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Magical Realism in Film benilde

2. The analysis of film adaptations of magical realist novels from

the page to the screen provides a means to consider how the
visual elements affect the narrative magical realism.

3. The common aspect of all of these films, is the magical realist

element that acts as a means of initiating questions concerning
philosophical issues, historical and social commentaries, and
the idea of the self that extend beyond the film’s capacity to
divert and entertain.

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Fantasy in Magical Realism
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Fantasy in Magic Realism benilde

In magical realism, fantasy slips into everyday

life; however, the focus isn’t on the fantastical
elements of the story, but on what those
elements mean for the characters.
● Brief exposition based on the occurrence of something magical or
supernatural
● A focus on the real world implications of that brief magical
phenomenon; in other words, a “literary fiction” style of writing,
or storytelling
● The use of fantasy as an extended metaphor, often representing
something internal to the protagonist
https://writers.com/what-is-magical-realism-in-literature

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 Reality
-our world

Spiritual Mental
-religion, myth -emotion
- folklore -dream
-legends

Hybrid nature of magical realism

 Time in magical realism

Real Magical
-present -past,
-linear present
-chronological future
overlaps
-loop

Life and afterlife in magical realism

Real Magical
-human -ghosts
-being -spirits
-supernaturals
1. Situations and Events That Defy Logic:
2. Myths and Legends
3. Historic Context and Societal Concerns:
4. Distorted Time and Sequence:
5. Real-World Settings:
6. Matter-of-Fact Tone:
1. Fantasy- situations or
events that defy logic
In the film an isolated writer (Calvin Weir-Fields) has writer’s block having published one highly
successful book when he was pretty young. His therapist encourages him to write a brief account
of a positive encounter with another person. He invents a scenario where he meets his perfect
girlfriend in the park. Soon he is writing more and more about her because he enjoys imagining
her so much. He describes her to his therapist:

Calvin: Ruby Sparks. Twenty-six years old. Raised in Dayton, Ohio.

Dr. Rosenthal: Why Dayton?

Calvin: Sounds romantic. Ruby’s first crushes were Humphrey Bogart and John
Lennon. She cried the day she found out they were already dead. Ruby got kicked out of
high school for sleeping with her art teacher… or maybe her Spanish teacher. I haven’t
decided yet. Ruby can’t drive. She doesn’t own a computer. She hates her middle name,
which is Tiffany. She always, always roots for the underdog. She’s complicated. That’s
what I like best about her. Ruby’s not so good at life sometimes. She forgets to open bills
or cash checks and… Her last boyfriend was 49. The one before that was an alcoholic.
She can feel a change coming. She’s looking for it.

Dr. Rosenthal: Looking for what?

Calvin: Something new.

2. Myths and Legends-
reference to any stories of
the same plot line
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2. Myths and Legends benilde

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2. Myths and Legends benilde

Pygmalion and Galatea

George Bernard Shaw-1913

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3. Social Critique-
issues that is present in the
story magnified by the
portrayals of the characters
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Social Critique benilde

1. Objectification of people.
-Treating people as things devoid of agency and choices,
impervious to hurt and pain

2. Duality of gender roles

-freedom for men
-manic pixie dream girl- the woman’s existence is to provide
meaning to man’s empty, emotionless life.

3. Inability to sustain meaningful relationships

-driven by man’s immaturity and insecurity
https://www.rewriting-the-rules.com/conflict-break-up/the-inevitability-of-treating-partners-as-things
https://www.rogerebert.com/features/some-idea-of-me-on-the-10th-anniversary-of-ruby-sparks

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Student Activity Questions benilde

- How did Harry acknowledged the reality of Ruby’s

existence?
- What did Harry asked Calvin to prove the reality of
Ruby?- will you do the same thing? Why or why not?
- What happens when your creation take a life of its own?

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References benilde

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-magical-realism

https://writers.com/what-is-magical-realism-in-literature

https://reedsy.com/discovery/blog/magical-realism

https://www.rewriting-the-rules.com/conflict-break-up/the-inevitability-of-treating-partners-as-things

https://www.rogerebert.com/features/some-idea-of-me-on-the-10th-anniversary-of-ruby-sparks

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Discussion Questions benilde

1. Is it possible that magic and reality coexist in one plane

or dimension?
-in reality it is not possible, but in fiction and film it is.

2. What is magical realism, how and where it originated?

-of the many definitions of the genre, what is evident is
that reality takes precedence over magic and it originated
formally in Germany, though its beginning cane be
traced back to Gogol’s The Nose.

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Discussion Questions benilde

3. What is the role of fantasy in magic realism?

In magical realism, fantasy slips into everyday life;

the focus isn’t on the fantastical elements of the story,
but on what those elements mean for the characters.

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