
Similarly to the painters who employed it, his writing portrayed the mystical within the real world. Italian writer Massimo Bontempelli was one of the first writers to take up magical realism as a genre in his literature. Pan’s Labyrinth Magical Realism in Literature Though many other post-war art movements were growing in popularity throughout Europe, magical realism began influencing artists and writers across Europe over time. And it was particularly its ability to comment on political and social issues that gained it currency and success. Whereas magical realism transposed fantastical elements onto a more identifiable, solid reality. Surrealism was typically more focused on abstract, psychological realities. Moreover, Roh identified magic realism’s focus on material objects as distinguishing it from a similar genre, surrealism. At the time, the term “magic” did not explicitly mean fantasy but the amazement and bewilderment towards everyday objects and the real world. It concerned the post-expressionist art movement in Germany “ Neue Sachlichkeit” (“New Objectivity” in English).įranz Roh utilized the phrase to describe artists’ depictions of the magical within the ordinary. Magical realism, or as German art critic Franz Roh called it, “magischer realismus”, was first referenced in 1925. So let’s take a look at its origins… The History of Magical Realism Origins Magical realism’s history is crucial to understanding its power, resonance and practicality.

Creators have used their respective mediums – painting, writing and filmmaking – to aid in magical realism’s ever-evolving growth as a sub-genre. The characteristics of the magical realism genre have developed over time through different art forms.

Instead, by not acknowledging the mystical aspects of their worlds as supernatural, these components become part of their realities. It tells a fictional story, portraying the real world with elements of magic and fantasy.Ĭharacters within the realistic worlds of these stories do not question the fantastical attributes of their worlds. Magical realism is a sub-genre in film, literature and art. But though contradictory, it describes what the genre truly is a merging of fantasy and realism. The phrase magical realism is really an oxymoron.

How Do Myths and Folktales Inform Magical Realism?.Mythology, Folklore and or Historical Influence

