Magic realism is a literary and artistic genre that blends magical elements with a realistic, everyday setting. The term was coined by the German art critic Franz Roh in 1925. In this genre, mystical events are treated as ordinary by the characters, and the natural world coexists with the supernatural without question or explanation. Magic realism often blurs the lines between reality and fantasy, creating a narrative in which both coexist seamlessly and are accepted as part of life.
The genre originated in South American literature, particularly through the works of authors such as Gabriel García Márquez, Juan Rulfo, and Isabel Allende. One of the most famous examples of magic realism is Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” (1967), where supernatural occurrences are woven into the everyday lives of characters in a small Colombian town. Though it began in South America, magic realism has influenced global literature and art. Writers like Haruki Murakami from Japan, Salman Rushdie from India, and Toni Morrison from the USA have incorporated elements of magic realism into their works, showcasing its universal appeal.
Ordinary setting, extraordinary elements
The novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” takes place in the fictional town of Macondo, a remote and seemingly ordinary village in Colombia. Throughout the book, magical occurrences are accepted by the characters as part of their daily lives. For example, Remedios the Beauty ascends to the sky while hanging laundry, and José Arcadio Buendía invents a machine to turn gold into powder.
Melquíades, a gypsy and close friend of José Arcadio Buendía, dies but returns as a ghost to assist the Buendía family. His ghost remains in Macondo, continuing to interact with the living, particularly by helping the family understand the mystical manuscripts he wrote during his life. These magical events are seamlessly woven into the fabric of everyday life, and no one questions their reality.
The ordinary life in the village, filled with families, love, conflict, and history, coexists with the fantastical events, where the impossible is considered routine.
Similarly, “The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende is set in Chile and spans multiple generations of the Trueba family. One of the central characters, Clara, possesses psychic abilities, including telekinesis and the power to communicate with spirits. Although Clara’s powers are extraordinary, they are accepted by those around her, becoming part of the family’s everyday reality.
Despite Clara’s supernatural gifts, the story is grounded in the historical and social changes of Chile. The characters navigate issues of class, politics, patriarchal oppression, and love. The fantastical elements are naturally integrated within this historical context. After the tragic death of Rosa, Esteban Trueba’s first love, her spirit is said to haunt the family home. Clara, who can communicate with spirits, receives messages from Rosa’s ghost, who continues to influence the living. Rosa’s spirit materialises as a greenish glow in the house, which Clara describes matter-of-factly. This lingering presence symbolises the enduring impact of tragedy and unresolved emotions.
Lack of explanation
Throughout the novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez, numerous magical events occur, particularly involving Aureliano Buendía, one of the central characters. He is followed everywhere by the ghosts of yellow butterflies, which are connected to the spirit of Pilar Ternera, a character from his past who symbolises the family’s romantic and sexual histories. These magical occurrences are treated as an ordinary part of life; no character questions why or how these fantastical events happen. Instead, they accept these phenomena without seeking explanations. The extraordinary is presented as normal, and life continues without inquiry.
In “The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende, the main character, Clara, has supernatural abilities that remain largely unexplained and unexamined. Her gifts, such as the ability to communicate with the dead, are accepted by her family and society as simply a normal aspect of their reality.
Dreamlike atmosphere
The dreamlike atmosphere of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez is vividly illustrated in Macondo, the town at the centre of the novel. This isolated town seems to exist within its own timeless, cyclical reality. The events that unfold are both vivid and unsettling, and the fluidity of time creates a dreamlike quality. For example, the passage of time may stretch or contract according to the story’s needs. The magical events are presented as normal occurrences, reinforcing the sense that Macondo exists in a liminal state where logic does not apply.
In “The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende, the novel intertwines the personal and political with the supernatural, particularly through the character Clara, who possesses psychic abilities and can communicate with spirits. Her dreams and premonitions often seep into the waking world, blurring the lines between the two realms.
Clara’s ability to move objects with her mind or predict the future feels like an ethereal extension of her surroundings. The story’s dreamlike atmosphere also emerges from the merging of personal tragedies with national history, suggesting that the spiritual realm is deeply connected to the social and political realities of Chile.
Cultural and political context
In “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, the cultural and political context of the novel is deeply rooted in Colombian history and culture, particularly in the effects of colonialism, the rise of political factions, and the struggles for social justice in South America. The interactions of the Buendía family with time, memory, and fate reflect Colombia’s tumultuous political landscape. The novel addresses issues such as military violence, civil wars, and the corruption of power.
For instance, the banana massacre, where workers are killed in a labour dispute (based on a real historical event), is presented within the framework of magical realism—an extraordinary occurrence that impacts the community but is often met with an almost detached acceptance. The fantastical elements, such as the ascension of Remedios the Beauty or the endless rain of yellow flowers, symbolise the injustice, hopelessness, and cyclical nature of the country’s political struggles. These surreal events reflect the unrelenting, often fatalistic political environment in Colombia.
On the other hand, “The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende takes place in Chile and spans several decades, reflecting the social changes and political upheaval of the 20th century, particularly the rise of Chile’s socialist government and the subsequent military coup by Augusto Pinochet. The story of the Trueba family mirrors the historical tensions between the ruling elite and the working class.
Clara’s psychic abilities, along with the supernatural events in the narrative, serve as metaphors for ongoing political oppression, class struggles, and the repression of marginalised voices in Chilean society. Clara’s clairvoyance and her ability to communicate with spirits represent the broader mystical and spiritual resistance against the brutal political forces that silence opposition.
The presence of ghosts and the blending of the past with the present illustrate how the haunting legacies of political violence and trauma persist across generations. For example, the earthquake described in the novel is depicted in surreal terms, as if the entire land is shaking with rage. This natural disaster can be interpreted as an embodiment of the turbulent political climate, transforming into a symbol of the political upheaval and social injustice that ultimately lead to Chile’s military coup. This use of magical realism adds a layer of mysticism and foreshadowing to the story, suggesting that the land responds to societal tensions.
The enchanting world of magical realism invites us to a place where the extraordinary coexists with the ordinary, often without explanation, weaving the fantastical into the fabric of everyday life. In this world, magic, myth, and the supernatural are not just auxiliary to reality—they are integral to it. The beauty of magical realism lies in its capacity to invite readers to experience the world in all its complexity, ambiguity, and strangeness, without requiring full resolution or explanation of the mysteries presented.
In the realm of magical realism, time can be fluid, spaces can bend, and the boundaries between reality and fantasy are porous and elusive. Here, even the most mundane activities—such as cooking, walking, or speaking—can suddenly take on a miraculous quality. Through this lens, the magical elements often serve as metaphors, reflecting deeper truths about human existence, culture, and the natural world.
