Editing Magical realism (section)

==Comparison with related genres==
When attempting to define what something ''is'', it is often helpful to define what something is ''not''. Many literary critics attempt to classify novels and literary works in only one genre, such as "romantic" or "naturalist", not always taking into account that many works fall into multiple categories.<ref name="jstor.org"/> Much discussion is cited from Maggie Ann Bowers' book ''Magic(al) Realism'', wherein she attempts to delimit the terms magic realism and magical realism by examining the relationships with other genres such as realism, surrealism, fantastic literature, science fiction and its African version, the animist realism.

===Realism===
[[Literary realism|Realism]] is an attempt to create a depiction of actual life; a novel does not simply rely on what it presents but ''how'' it presents it.  In this way, a realist narrative acts as framework by which the reader constructs a world using the raw materials of life.  Understanding both realism and magical realism within the realm of a narrative mode is key to understanding both terms. Magical realism "relies upon the presentation of real, imagined or magical elements as if they were real. It relies upon realism, but only so that it can stretch what is acceptable as real to its limits."<ref name="Bowers, Maggie A. 2004" />{{Rp|22}} Literary theorist Kornelije Kvas wrote that "what is created in magic(al) realism works is a fictional world close to reality, marked by a strong presence of the unusual and the fantastic, in order to point out, among other things, the contradictions and shortcomings of society. The presence of the element of the fantastic does not violate the manifest coherence of a work that is characteristic of traditional realist literature. Fantastic (magical) elements appear as part of everyday reality, function as saviors of the human against the onslaught of conformism, evil and totalitarianism. Moreover, in magical realism works we find objective narration characteristic of traditional, 19th-century realism."<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Boundaries of Realism in World Literature|last=Kvas|first=Kornelije|publisher=Lexington Books|year=2019|isbn=978-1-7936-0910-6|location=Lanham, Boulder, New York, London|pages=29}}</ref>

As a simple point of comparison, Roh's differentiation between expressionism and post-expressionism as described in ''German Art in the 20th Century,'' may be applied to magic realism and realism. [[Realism (arts)|Realism]] pertains to the terms "history", "[[Mimesis|mimetic]]", "familiarization", "empiricism/logic", "narration", "closure-ridden/reductive naturalism", and "[[Rationalization (sociology)|rationalization]]/[[cause and effect]]".<ref name="Simpkins, Scott 1988">{{cite journal |last1=Simpkins |first1=Scott |title=Magical Strategies: The Supplement of Realism |journal=Twentieth Century Literature |date=1988 |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=140–154 |doi=10.2307/441074 |jstor=441074}}</ref> On the other hand, magic realism encompasses the terms "myth/legend", "fantastic/supplementation", "[[defamiliarization]]", "[[mysticism]]/magic", "[[Metanarrative|meta-narration]]", "open-ended/expansive [[romanticism]]", and "imagination/negative capability".<ref name="Simpkins, Scott 1988"/>

===Surrealism===
[[Surrealism]] is often confused with magical realism as they both explore illogical or non-realist aspects of humanity and existence. There is a strong historical connection between Franz Roh's concept of magic realism and surrealism, as well as the resulting influence on Carpentier's marvelous reality; however, important differences remain. Surrealism "is most distanced from magical realism [in that] the aspects that it explores are associated not with material reality but with the imagination and the mind, and in particular it attempts to express the 'inner life' and psychology of humans through art". It seeks to express the sub-conscious, unconscious, the repressed and inexpressible. Magical realism, on the other hand, rarely presents the extraordinary in the form of a dream or a ''psychological experience''. "To do so", Bowers writes, "takes the magic of recognizable material reality and places it into the little understood world of the imagination. The ordinariness of magical realism's magic relies on its accepted and unquestioned position in tangible and ''material reality''."<ref name="Bowers, Maggie A. 2004" />{{Rp|22–4}}

===Fabulism===
Fabulism traditionally refers to fables, parables, and myths, and is sometimes used in contemporary contexts for authors whose work falls within or relates to magical realism.

Though often used to refer to works of magical realism, fabulism incorporates fantasy elements into reality, using myths and fables to critique the exterior world and offer direct allegorical interpretations. Austrian-American child psychologist [[Bruno Bettelheim]] suggested that fairy tales have psychological merit. They are used to translate trauma into a context that people can more easily understand and help to process difficult truths. Bettelheim posited that the darkness and morality of traditional fairy tales allowed children to grapple with questions of fear through symbolism. Fabulism helped to work through these complexities and, in the words of Bettelheim, "make physical what is otherwise ephemeral or ineffable in an attempt&nbsp;... of understanding those things that we struggle the most to talk about: loss, love, transition."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Haggard |first1=Kit |title=How a queer fabulism came to dominate contemporary women's writing |url=https://theoutline.com/post/5751/fabulism-fiction-carmen-maria-machado-daisy-johnson-melissa-broder?zd=2&zi=uju7vyr3 |website=The Outline |access-date=24 November 2018}}</ref>

Author Amber Sparks described fabulism as blending fantastical elements into a realistic setting. Crucial to the genre, said Sparks, is that the elements are often borrowed from specific myths, fairy tales, and folktales. Unlike magical realism, it does not just use general magical elements, but directly incorporates details from well known stories. "Our lives are bizarre, meandering, and fantastic", said Hannah Gilham of the ''[[Washington Square Review]]'' regarding fabulism. "Shouldn't our fiction reflect that?"<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gilham |first1=Hannah |title=Discovering the Fabulists: The Value of the Bizarre in Literature |url=http://www.washingtonsquarereview.com/blog/2018/2/7/in-defense-of-the-fantastic-breaking-up-with-realism |website=Washington Square Review |access-date=25 November 2018}}</ref>

While magical realism is traditionally used to refer to works that are Latin American in origin, fabulism is not tied to any specific culture. Rather than focusing on political realities, fabulism tends to focus on the entirety of the human experience through the mechanization of fairy tales and myths.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Capettini |first=Emily |title=A Second Ribcage: Fiction and an Article on New Wave Fabulism, Trauma, and the Environment |date=2014 |type=Doctoral dissertation |institution=University of Louisiana at Lafayette |url=https://proquest.com/docview/1548306771 |id={{ProQuest|1548306771|access=free}} |via=ProQuest}}</ref> This can be seen in the works of [[C. S. Lewis]], whose biographer, A.N. Wilson, referred to him as the greatest fabulist of the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kirk |first=Russell |date=1990-04-01 |title=THE FAITH OF A FABULIST |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/1990/04/01/the-faith-of-a-fabulist/a855894c-0126-490b-a4a0-ed6b9829978b/ |access-date=2024-01-12 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> His 1956 novel ''[[Till We Have Faces]]'' has been referenced as a fabulist retelling. This re-imagining of the story of [[Cupid and Psyche]] uses an age-old myth to impart moralistic knowledge on the reader. A [[The Washington Post|Washington Post]] review of a Lewis biography discusses how his work creates "a fiction" in order to deliver a lesson. Says the Post of Lewis, "The fabulist&nbsp;... illuminates the nature of things through a tale both he and his auditors, or readers, know to be an ingenious analogical invention."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kirk |first1=Russell |title=The Faith of a Fabulist |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/1990/04/01/the-faith-of-a-fabulist/a855894c-0126-490b-a4a0-ed6b9829978b/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=25 November 2018}}</ref>

[[Italo Calvino]] is an example of a writer in the genre who uses the term ''fabulist''. Calvino is best known for his book trilogy, ''Our Ancestors'', a collection of moral tales told through surrealist fantasy. Like many fabulist collections, his work is often classified as allegories for children. Calvino wanted fiction, like folk tales, to act as a teaching device. "Time and again, Calvino insisted on the 'educational potential' of the fable and its function as a moral exemplum", wrote journalist Ian Thomson about the Italian Fabulist.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomson |first1=Ian |title=Italo Calvino: a celebration of the fairy king |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/italo-calvino-the-fairy-king/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/italo-calvino-the-fairy-king/ |archive-date=2022-01-11 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |website=The Telegraph |date=19 September 2015 |access-date=8 December 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

While reviewing the work of Romanian-born American theater director [[Andrei Şerban]], ''New York Times'' critic [[Mel Gussow]] coined the term "The New Fabulism". Şerban is famous for his reinventions in the art of staging and directing, known for directing works like "The Stag King" and "The Serpent Woman", both fables adapted into plays by [[Carlo Gozzi|Carl Gozzi]]. Gussow defined "The New Fabulism" as "taking ancient myths and turn(ing) them into morality tales",<ref name="Magic World Behind the Curtain">{{cite book |last1=Menta |first1=Ed |title=Magic World Behind the Curtain |date=1995 |publisher=Peter Lang |location=New York |pages=89–105}}</ref> In Ed Menta's book, ''The Magic Behind the Curtain'', he explores Şerban's work and influence within the context of American theatre. He wrote that the Fabulist style allowed Şerban to neatly combine technical form and his own imagination. Through directing fabulist works, Şerban can inspire an audience with innate goodness and romanticism through the magic of theatre. "The New Fabulism has allowed Şerban to pursue his own ideals of achieving on sage the naivete of a children's theater", wrote Menta. "It is in this simplicity, this innocence, this magic that Şerban finds any hope for contemporary theatre at all."<ref name="Magic World Behind the Curtain"/>

===Fantasy===
Fantasy and magic realism are commonly held to be unrelated apart from some shared inspirations in mythology and folklore. Amaryll Beatrice Chanady distinguishes magical realist literature from fantasy literature ("the fantastic") based on differences between three shared dimensions: the use of [[antinomy]] (the simultaneous presence of two conflicting codes), the inclusion of events that cannot be integrated into a logical framework, and the use of authorial reticence. In fantasy, the presence of the supernatural code is perceived as problematic, something that draws special attention&mdash;where in magical realism, the presence of the supernatural is accepted. In fantasy, while authorial reticence creates a disturbing effect on the reader, it works to ''integrate the supernatural'' into the natural framework in magical realism. This integration is made possible in magical realism as the author presents the supernatural as being equally valid to the natural. There is no hierarchy between the two codes.<ref>Chanady, Amaryll Beatrice (1985). ''Magical realism and the fantastic: Resolved versus unresolved antinomy.'' New York: Garland. pp. 30–31.</ref> The ghost of Melquíades in Márquez's ''[[One Hundred Years of Solitude]]'' or the baby ghost in [[Toni Morrison]]'s ''Beloved'' who visit or haunt the inhabitants of their previous residence are both presented by the narrator as ordinary occurrences; the reader, therefore, accepts the marvelous as normal and common.<ref name="Bowers, Maggie A. 2004" />{{Rp|25–27}}

To Clark Zlotchew, the differentiating factor between the fantastic and magical realism is that in fantastic literature, such as Kafka's ''[[The Metamorphosis]]'', there is a hesitation experienced by the protagonist, implied author or reader in deciding whether to attribute natural or supernatural causes to an unsettling event, or between rational or irrational explanations.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|14}} Fantastic literature has also been defined as a piece of narrative in which there is a constant faltering between belief and non-belief in the supernatural or extraordinary event.

In Leal's view, writers of fantasy literature, such as [[Jorge Luis Borges|Borges]], can create "new worlds, perhaps new planets. By contrast, writers like García Márquez, who use magical realism, don't create new worlds, but suggest the magical in our world."<ref name=Leal89 /> In magical realism, the supernatural realm blends with the natural, familiar world. This twofold world of magical realism differs from the onefold world that can be found in fairy-tale and fantasy literature.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|15}} By contrast, in the series "[[Sorcerous Stabber Orphen]]" the laws of natural world become a basis for a naturalistic concept of magic.<ref name="Mizuno2019">{{cite book|last=Mizuno|first=Ryou|title=Sorcerous Stabber Orphen Anthology. Commentary|year=2019| language=ja |publisher=TO Books|isbn= 9784864728799|pages=235}}</ref>

Prominent English-language fantasy writers have rejected definitions of "magic realism" as something other than a synonym for [[fantasy fiction]]. [[Gene Wolfe]] said, "magic realism is fantasy written by people who speak Spanish",<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Wolfe | first1 = Gene | author-link = Gene Wolfe |last2=Baber |first2=Brendan | chapter = Gene Wolfe Interview | editor-last = Wright |editor-first=Peter | title = Shadows of the New Sun: Wolfe on Writing/Writers on Wolfe | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MkPfjCVo3g4C&pg=PA132 | access-date = 2009-01-20| isbn = 9781846310577 | year = 2007 | publisher = Liverpool University Press }}</ref> and [[Terry Pratchett]] said magic realism "is like a polite way of saying you write fantasy".<ref>{{cite magazine
 |magazine   = January Magazine
 |url         = http://januarymagazine.com/profiles/tpratchett2002.html
 |title       = Terry Pratchett by Linda Richards
 |year        = 2002
 |access-date  = February 17, 2008
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20071217212623/http://januarymagazine.com/profiles/tpratchett2002.html
 |archive-date = December 17, 2007
}}</ref>

===Animist realism<!--'Animist realism' redirects here-->===
''Animist realism'' is a term for conceptualizing the [[African literature]] that has been written based on the strong presence of the imaginary ancestor, the traditional religion and especially the [[animism]] of African cultures.<ref>Paradiso, Silvio Ruiz. 2014. "Postcolonialism and religiosity in African literatures". Proceedings of the 4th International Congress in Cultural Studies. Aveiro, Portugal. pp. 73–79.</ref> The term was used by [[Pepetela]] (1989)<ref>[[Pepetela]] (1989). {{lang|pt|Lueji, o nascimento de um império}}. Porto, Portugal: {{lang|pt|italic=no|União dos Escritores Angolanos}}.</ref> and Harry Garuba (2003)<ref>Garuba , Harry. 2003. "Explorations in Animist Materialism: Notes on Reading/Writing African Literature, Culture, and Society". ''[[Public Culture]]''.</ref> to be a new conception of magic realism in African literature.

===Science fiction===
While [[science fiction]] and magical realism both bend the notion of what is real, toy with human imagination, and are forms of (often fantastical) fiction, they differ greatly. Bower's cites [[Aldous Huxley]]'s ''[[Brave New World]]'' as a novel that exemplifies the science fiction novel's requirement of a "rational, physical explanation for any unusual occurrences". Huxley portrays a world where the population is highly controlled with mood enhancing drugs, which are controlled by the government. In this world, there is no link between copulation and reproduction. Humans are produced in giant test tubes, where chemical alterations during gestation determine their fates. Bowers argues that "The science fiction narrative's distinct difference from magical realism is that it is set in a world different from any known reality and its realism resides in the fact that we can recognize it as a possibility for our future. Unlike magical realism, it does not have a realistic setting that is recognizable in relation to any past or present reality."<ref name="Bowers, Maggie A. 2004" />{{Rp|29–30}}