Defining the Boundaries of Magical Realism in The Porcelain Doll

1446 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Magical realism defintion essay

Defining the Boundaries of Magical Realism in The Porcelain Doll

Scholars have debated the defining characteristics of Magical Realism since its infancy as an emerging art form in the early twentieth century. From Franz Roh, the art critic who coined the term Magical Realism, to contemporary leading scholars such as Amaryll Chanady, a myriad of confusion has surrounded this term. In an effort to narrow the defining boundaries of what constitutes Magical Realism, short stories labeled as Magical Realism can be examined for their degree of adherence to the cardinal characteristics most scholars attribute to Magical Realism. Here, "The Porcelain Doll," a short story by the nineteenth century author Leo Tolstoy, can be used to illustrate common confusions surrounding the term Magical Realism. This short story was included in the 1984 book Magical Realist Fiction: An Anthology. By identifying the characteristics that seem inconsistent with the characteristics most critics ascribe to Magical Realist literature, a more concise understanding of Magical Realism can be obtained.

"The text [magical realist text] contains an 'irreducible element' of magic, something we cannot explain according to the laws of the universe as we know them" (Faris 167). In addition to these "magical" elements, Magical Realist fiction, by name, includes "realistic" elements that serve to counterbalance the "magical" elements. The plots are logically conceived (Leal 120). An amalgamation of realistic and magical elements is presented by true Magical Realist authors through specific devices. These devices serve as the first basis for evaluating a work of literature and determining whether or not it fits into the Magical Realist mode.

...

... middle of paper ...

...ical Realism and Postmodern Fiction." Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995. 163-189.

Leal, Luis. "Magical Realism in Spanish American Literature." Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995. 119-124.

Simpkins, Scott. "Sources of Magic Realism/Supplements to Realism in Contemporary Latin American Literature." Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995. 145-159.

Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Form. Cleveland: The Press of Case Western Reserve University, 1973. 168-174.

Tolstoy, Leo. "The Porcelain Doll." Magical Realist Fiction: An Anthology. New York: Longman, Inc., 1984. 33-36.

Show More
Related

  • Magic Realism in Marquez´s Un Señor Muy Viejo con Alas Enormes

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gioia, Dana. "Gabriel García Márquez and Magic Realism." Essays by Dana Gioia. Dana Gioia, 2009. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.

    Read More

  • Comparing One Hundred Years of Solitude and Bless Me Ultima

    1691 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...story telling traditions. All storytellers are children of the ones, which came before them and stand on the shoulders of those who have told the tales in the past. Marquez and Anaya did not hesitate to make liberal use of magical realism, both as a way to create tension in their stories and to contact the deeper hearing of their audience. Magical realism was just another tool in their literary boxes, to be used with skill and discretion for the greater benefit of the tale being told. It worked well for the cantadora, sitting in the doorway weaving her basket as she wove her tale and it works equally well today as we pause from our lives, quiet our souls, and prepare to listen as the story unfolds.

    Read More

  • Sandra Cisneros's “Never Marry a Mexican”

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    Faris, Wendy B. Ordinary Enchantments: Magical Realism and the Remystification of Narrative. Nashville: Vanderbilt UP, 2004. 24 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. 21

    Read More

  • The Imaginary Comparison of A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings and The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    Giants and Angels roam the pages of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s stories, “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”, and “The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World”, creating the perfect scene for magical realism. Many of the elements within these stories coincide with each other; this has everything to do with the overall component of magical realism, which binds together similarities and sets apart differences. The theme of each story can be found within the other and can stand by itself to represent the story it belongs to, the settings are similar in location and the ability to change but different in their downsides and the writing style is so similar it is complicated to find any differences. Marquez is a master story-teller whose works of art can only be compared with each other.

    Read More

  • Ted Bundy: Who Are The Most Faceful Serial Killers?

    2397 Words  | 5 Pages

    A majority of these individuals are linked through commonalities of their childhood as well as their personality traits and behaviors. The serial murderer’s personality is an intricate recipe of biological, environmental and social circumstances. Though early abuse can cause feelings of aggression and delinquency, childhood experiences alone cannot be to blame. Many people are abused early on as children, and never become killers. Similarly, biological issues, such as brain abnormalities, as we as certain personality disorders would not individually create a murderer. Rather, a distinctive combination of psychological issues, impairments in the brain, and personality disorders help mold a brutal serial killer. Killers cannot be simply born into this world, but under the right circumstances, they will be created.

    Read More

  • Magical Realism in The Garden of Forking Paths

    1320 Words  | 3 Pages

    Flores, Angel. "Magical Realism in Spanish American Fiction." Magical Realism. Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995: 109-116.

    Read More

  • Is a Serial Killer Born or Created?

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many studies suggest that there are significant differences in the brain between individuals who possess antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy). While not all people who possess an antisocial personality disorder will become serial killers, every serial killer studied has an antisocial personality disorder; “Neuropsychological testing revealed abnormalities in all subjects tested” (Blake, Pincus, and Buckner 1642). Brain injury, brain abnormalities, or mental illness affects all the serial killers tested. Even if all serial killers had some type of abnormality in the brain, would that mean that they were doomed to become a serial killer? According to the experimental findings discussed in Neurologic Abnormalities in Murderers; 64.5% of serial killers have a frontal lobe dysfunction and 29% have temporal lobe abnormalities. The frontal lobes of the brain “control the essence of our human...

    Read More

  • Serial Killers

    3019 Words  | 7 Pages

    The earliest warning signs of serial killers can be traced back to their childhood. It is believed that the mind of a murderer is charged with a turbulence of emotions stored from early childhood (Abrahamsen 18). When these often repressed emotions are activated, the mind, particularly when aroused or frustrated, becomes violent, and so it is that a person who may appear quite normal and well adjusted on the surface, becomes possessed by a mind that murders (Abrahamsen 18). The study of 36 incarcerated killers by Robert Ressler, Ann Burgess, and John Douglas, which can be found in their book Sexual Homicide Patterns and Motives, found many common behavior indicators in their childhoods. These behaviors include daydreaming, compulsive masturbation, isolation, chronic lying, bed wetting, rebelliousness, nightmares, destroying property, fire setting stealing, cruelty to children, poor body image, temper tantrums, sleep problems, display assault toward adults, phobias, running away, cruelty to animals, accident prone, headaches, destroying possessions, eating problems, convulsions, and...

    Read More

  • Serial Killers Characteristics

    1795 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are so many different ways in which a serial killer is originated from whether it be from childhood experiences, particular genes in the makeup of the individual or the way their brain has developed. One day there will be a breakthrough and the question will be answered, but not before other areas that may affect the natural process of an individual's growth are explored more

    Read More

  • Serial Killers

    2571 Words  | 6 Pages

    'Serial murder'; has long been a term used to describe those human beings that repeatedly commit heinous crimes. It is rare that the average person probes the mind of a serial killer without bias. However, what lies behind the eyes of a serial killer deserves more than the cold hard look that society so often gives (Aaronson, Inter...

    Read More

  • Magical Realism in Gabriel Garcia Marqez's A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

    1066 Words  | 3 Pages

    The controversy surrounding Magical Realism makes the classification of what is and what is not Magical Realism very difficult. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a famous Latin American author, has written many pieces of what is generally conceived to be Magical Realism. Marqez's "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" fulfills every characteristic of Magical Realism..

    Read More

  • Connecting Magical Realism and Psychology

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    In order to see how Magical Realism is found in this treatment, one must first consider at least one of the identifying marks of Magical Realism. Among the characteristics that identify Magical Realism is the feeling of transcendence that the reader has while reading a Magical Realist text (Simpkins 150). During transcendence, a reader senses something that is beyond the real world. At the same time, however, the reader still feels as if he or she were rooted in the world (Sandner 52). After the reader undergoes transcendence, then he or she should have a different outlook on life.

    Read More

  • Use of Magical Realism in Chronicle of a Death Foretold

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    Obviously the most concise definition of magical realism is that it is the combination of magical and real elements. The magical elements that exist in works of magical realism are; superstitions, exaggerations, dreams that come true, universal humor and the coincidence of bizarre events. All of these Elements are present within Chronicle of a Death Foretold.

    Read More

  • Serial Killer Essay

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are several different types of murderers, with one of the most popular in the media being a serial killer. A serial killer is someone who kills at least three people at different times with time in between murder described as a “cooling off period”. After killing, they feel a sense of relief for awhile, but when it wears off they feel the need to kill again to release their stress. People often times ask the question of why do the perpetrator’s feel the need to kill to relieve the stress they are feeling, and why they continue to do it. There are some factors that link brain anomalies, damage, and faulty genetics to the cause, but other factors include include the childhood development of the killer. Researchers Ressler and Shachtman

    Read More

  • Surrealism And Realism

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    Magical realism is a term that describes contempory fiction. Magical realism blends magical or fantastical elements with reality this means that they put something that’s real, and is meant to be fake to be used as reality. It tells its story from the perspective of people who live in our world and experience a different reality from the one we call objective. Magical realism is used in a lot of stories, but it takes a role in one of the stories we read in class which was “The Handsomest Drowned Man”.

    Read More

More about Defining the Boundaries of Magical Realism in The Porcelain Doll

Open Document