Wednesday, 17 April 2013
MAGIC REALISM
According to Britannica, magic realism is characterized by the matter-of-fact inclusion of fantastic or mythical elements into seemingly realistic fiction. Wikipedia states that magic realism is a genre where magic elements are a natural part in an otherwise mundane, realistic environment. From these definitions, it might be quite tough to elicit a clear comprehension of what magic realism really is. Therefore, I will take a close look at one of the short stories of magic realism written by Gabriel Marquez - The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World.
Summary
The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World starts in a small fishing village where the population is not very big. The children are playing at the beach when they find a dead body of man drifted by the waves. The men and women at the town, eager to claim the body, clean it meticulously and prepare it for a funeral. While the townspeople work on the body, they find out that this man had been one of the biggest, handsomest, and most masculine of all men in the world. After letting him back into the sea, the people realize that their lives have actually changed, and other people will now view their 'Esteban's village' with pride.
Magic Realism vs Fiction
'The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World' might seem perfectly ordinary without any mythical elements present in it. A dead body floats up ashore in a peaceful village, and the people prepare it for a funeral. However, a careful scrutiny shows how these magical elements are perfectly blended into a plot that seems realistic. Let us consider the body of Esteban first. A body that had been floating for that long period of time must be totally bloated until one cannot recognize how the face looks like. However, this dead man is emphasized for having 'the handsomest face in the world".
Moreover, all the people at the town seem to welcome the body without any hesitation or rejection. People do not clean and prepare a dead body that had been washed up ashore by a current the way the townspeople in 'The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World' did. People do not wonder about where the dead man might be pure, how the man is so manly, and what his name might be like the townspeople did.
Instead of seeing magic realism and fiction as two separate categories, I want to point out that magic realism is a part of fiction. It is a special type of fiction that reveals its surreal components in a less conspicuous manner. This way, the readers actually believe that such instances can occur in daily lives. Instead of drawing a boundary between the possible and impossible, magic realism creates a new sense of making the impossible seem feasible.
This may not actually be the difference between magic realism and fiction. However, the more I read about these two genres, magic realism came to me as a genre that involves both reality and fantasy and merges them together.
Esteban?
The townspeople suddenly name the dead man 'Esteban' and start calling him by that name until the end of the story. This can actually be an insignificant event which has minor importance; however, based on my research, Esteban is a common, masculine Spanish name for Stephen, which means 'crown', or 'wreath' derived from Greek. Both a crown and wreath are present to a winner of a contest, and in this case, the dead man is present as the winner above all the men in the world in the aspect of outlooks.
Imagery
As one can lucidly see from the very text, this story uses numerous literary techniques that might confuse the readers in keeping with the actual plot. The first paragraph talks about the instance when the body gets washed up ashore, and the children playing at the beach think it is an empty ship, then a whale. It uses a visual image to describe how the body looked like when it was first found.
The second paragraph states that 'he had the smell of the sea about him'. Unlike the first paragraph, the second one uses the sense of smell to indicate that the body has traveled for a long time in the sea that the scent has permeated throughout his whole body.
SOURCES
Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/356736/magic-realism
Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism
shmoop, http://www.shmoop.com/handsomest-drowned-man/literary-devices.html
Summary
The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World starts in a small fishing village where the population is not very big. The children are playing at the beach when they find a dead body of man drifted by the waves. The men and women at the town, eager to claim the body, clean it meticulously and prepare it for a funeral. While the townspeople work on the body, they find out that this man had been one of the biggest, handsomest, and most masculine of all men in the world. After letting him back into the sea, the people realize that their lives have actually changed, and other people will now view their 'Esteban's village' with pride.
Magic Realism vs Fiction
'The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World' might seem perfectly ordinary without any mythical elements present in it. A dead body floats up ashore in a peaceful village, and the people prepare it for a funeral. However, a careful scrutiny shows how these magical elements are perfectly blended into a plot that seems realistic. Let us consider the body of Esteban first. A body that had been floating for that long period of time must be totally bloated until one cannot recognize how the face looks like. However, this dead man is emphasized for having 'the handsomest face in the world".
Moreover, all the people at the town seem to welcome the body without any hesitation or rejection. People do not clean and prepare a dead body that had been washed up ashore by a current the way the townspeople in 'The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World' did. People do not wonder about where the dead man might be pure, how the man is so manly, and what his name might be like the townspeople did.
Instead of seeing magic realism and fiction as two separate categories, I want to point out that magic realism is a part of fiction. It is a special type of fiction that reveals its surreal components in a less conspicuous manner. This way, the readers actually believe that such instances can occur in daily lives. Instead of drawing a boundary between the possible and impossible, magic realism creates a new sense of making the impossible seem feasible.
This may not actually be the difference between magic realism and fiction. However, the more I read about these two genres, magic realism came to me as a genre that involves both reality and fantasy and merges them together.
Esteban?
The townspeople suddenly name the dead man 'Esteban' and start calling him by that name until the end of the story. This can actually be an insignificant event which has minor importance; however, based on my research, Esteban is a common, masculine Spanish name for Stephen, which means 'crown', or 'wreath' derived from Greek. Both a crown and wreath are present to a winner of a contest, and in this case, the dead man is present as the winner above all the men in the world in the aspect of outlooks.
They were wandering through that maze of fantasy when the oldest woman, who as the oldest had looked upon the drowned man with more compassion than passion, sighed: "He has the face of someone called Esteban."From this quote, we can see that the oldest woman in the town is the one that actually gives the body the name of Esteban. This causes the story to be some kind of ancient myths, and transforms the body into a symbol of magic.
Imagery
As one can lucidly see from the very text, this story uses numerous literary techniques that might confuse the readers in keeping with the actual plot. The first paragraph talks about the instance when the body gets washed up ashore, and the children playing at the beach think it is an empty ship, then a whale. It uses a visual image to describe how the body looked like when it was first found.
The second paragraph states that 'he had the smell of the sea about him'. Unlike the first paragraph, the second one uses the sense of smell to indicate that the body has traveled for a long time in the sea that the scent has permeated throughout his whole body.
SOURCES
Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/356736/magic-realism
Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism
shmoop, http://www.shmoop.com/handsomest-drowned-man/literary-devices.html
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