Magic(al) Realism

The last three decades have seen an increase in popularity of magical realist fiction as a form of narrative, adopted by writers and enjoyed by readers across the globe. At the same time, the term has been open to misuse and has become conflated with related terms such as 'magic' and 'marvellous' realism. In this invaluable student handbook, Maggie Ann Bowers
*Provides clear definitions and distinctions between the terms
*Examines their origins in German post-expressionist painting and Latin American fiction
*Explores the relationship with other art movements, such as surrealism
*Offers an historical overview of the geographical, cultural and political contexts in which magical realist art, fiction and film have been produced
*Considers the relationship to issues of postcolonialism, cross-culturalism and postmodernism
*Illustrates her analysis drawing on examples of the work of eminent writers and artists, including Salman Rushdie, Frida Kahlo, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Angela Carter.
"Magic(al) Realism" helps the student navigate the complexities of magic, magical and marvellous realism within art and literary criticism, and will be of use to any reader who is confused by the conflation and contradictory usage of these terms.

Bestselling novels by Angela Carter, Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and a multitude of others have enchanted us by blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. Their genre of writing has been variously defined as 'magic', 'magical' or 'marvellous' realism and is quickly becoming a core area of literary studies. This guide offers a first step for those wishing to consider this area in greater depth, by: exploring the many definitions and terms used in relation to the genre tracing the origins of the movement in painting and fiction offering an historical overview of the contexts for magic(al) realism providing analysis of key works of magic(al) realist fiction, film and art. This is an essential guide for those interested in or studying one of today's most popular genres.

Introduction 1. Origins of Magic(al) Realism 2. Delimiting the Terms 3. Locations of the Magic(al) Realism 4. Transgressive Variants of Magical Realism 5. Cross-cultural variants of Magical realism 6. Magic(al) Realism and Cultural Productions 7. The Future of Magic(al) Realism Glossary Bibliography Index

Maggie Ann Bowers teaches American and Canadian literature at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. She has published numerous articles on contemporary American and Canadian authors, and is the co-editor of Convergences and Interferences (2002).