Speculative fiction is most notable for its extreme divergence from reality. Science fiction amplifies technology to a (currently) unattainable degree, and fantasy eschews the laws of our world for new ones entirely. However, sometimes, this separation between fantasy and reality is almost imperceptible. In these cases, authors might be exploring a subgenre called Magical Realism. While fantasy situates magic and other fantastical systems at the forefront of its stories, Magical Realism firmly focuses on how reality exists around the magical. In short, magic and fantasy sneak into everyday life, not the other way around. Sound confusing? Magical Realism is something that might be easier to spot than it is to define, but we’ll do our best to explain it to you now.
What is Magical Realism??
Magical Realism is technically a subgenre of realism fiction, not speculative. However, it incorporates the magical in a way that grants it consideration among speculative audiences. Unlike purely fantasy stories, the magical or supernatural elements often go unexplained in Magical Realism stories. Magic is not used to add a unique element to the story but for metaphorical purposes. Magical Realism as we understand it today owes credit to 20th-century Latin American authors like Gabriel García Marquez and Isabel Allende. Not only does Magical Realism borrow from traditional Latin American storytelling and folklore but it also carries a hint of politicization. For many Latin American nations at the time, political unrest exacerbated by American colonial politics rocked society, and some authors turned to works of Magical Realism as a mode of protest. Even today, there is a large group of critics who believe this subgenre is inextricable from Latin American culture.
While it is important to respect the tremendous impact this movement had on Magical Realism as a whole, we can recognize that members of other global cultures have also made significant contributions to the genre. Consider American author Toni Morrison’s Beloved. This novel uses supernatural elements to explore the depths and repercussions of slavery. Also consider Japanese author Haruki Murakami whose works like The Wind Up Bird Chronicle and 1Q84 reflect the metaphorical use of fantasy elements without the distinctive undertones of protest. Rather, Murakami’s work often leans on absurdity to push his thematic elements. Something these authors share in common with their Latin American counterparts is a distinct, literary writing style. This is a hallmark of Magical Realism that further separates it from its speculative counterparts.
Common Tropes
Less so than common tropes, there are a few generally expected conventions in Magical Realism. Of course, there is the expectation that magic or the supernatural has crept into everyday life, but the focus of the story is more so on the impact of that magic on the characters, not the magic itself. Likewise, authors generally forgo explaining that magic as a way of integrating it into reality. If you’re considering writing a piece of Magical Realism, try to incorporate the following.
- Realistic Settings: Stories of Magical Realism don’t take place in faraway lands or on planets rotating through the other side of the universe. They firmly take place on Earth in real places. You don’t have to specify the city or town your story takes place in, but it should reflect a real place.
- Metaphor: More often than not, the magic in these stories represents something much larger. Think about Gabriel García Marquez’s “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings.” The angel that crash lands in an elderly couple’s backyard is an angel, sure, but he is a callback to the invasive nature of the unfamiliar as well. In your writing, find ways to criticize or highlight ideas through your use of magic or the supernatural.
- Subtlety: The magical elements in these stories may have resounding impacts on the characters’ lives, but their representation is relatively subtle. Consider them like an inciting incident: they are inextricable from the outcome of the story, but they aren’t entirely central to it. As you work with magical elements in your story, consider how you can increase the impact and tie the outcome to your character’s growth without giving much attention to the magic on the page.
Why I Like Magical Realism
Magical Realism is bizarre. It normalizes the disruptive qualities of magic and the supernatural and robs them of their power to shock us. Rather, Magical Realism imposes reality on unreality and forces us to reckon with strangeness. Something else I appreciate about Magical Realism is the unexplained nature of the supernatural. While our editors always recommend intricately developing magic systems, that isn’t exactly necessary for stories of Magical Realism. For these stories, the more important thing is what the magic represents, not how it works. That freedom to explore meaning over mechanics makes me love writing in the subgenre.
Why YOU Should Explore Magical Realism
Magical Realism at its core is a form of protest. It’s a mode offered to marginalized authors to dissect what impacts them and call attention to how it affects them. On the other side of the spectrum, Magical Realism offers authors a chance to reckon with chaos and the unknown. Whichever you prescribe to, there are plenty of ways to explore this magical subgenre.
- Inequality: Using corrupt and unbalanced power archetypes, Magical Realism provides a basis to investigate the source and impact of inequality. Consider another work by Gabriel García Marquez, The Autumn of the Patriarch. By carefully threading magic into this story of a dying tyrant, Marquez questions the source and impact of power.
- Sacrifice: Magic as many of us understand it is a hungry being. Think of how you can utilize this hunger to demonstrate sacrifice. Does your character have to give up something to appease the sudden presence of magic? Does a supernatural being slowly whittle away your character’s livelihood?
- Chaos: As we’ve seen with many Japanese writers of Magical Realism, chaos is a constant and potent aspect of our lives. Magic suddenly and inexplicably appears. What happens next? What happens when we accept chaos as normal and try to move forward? Try to answer these questions in your stories.
Magical Realism Novels We Love
Throughout my Japanese studies, I had to read a lot of Haruki Murakami. In Japanese. It was difficult to say the least. My professor thought that since Murakami had international appeal, his work would be more interesting to Americans. To be honest, many of my classmates couldn’t understand his stories because they were too random (and because we had to keep a dictionary on hand to translate every other sentence). However, I came to appreciate his work, especially his collection of short stories in The Elephant Vanishes. My favorite story is “The Little Green Monster.” This tale of an invasive monster and its love is a great exploration of the nature of negative thoughts and self-determination.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel is an incredible read that pulls you in with its mix of adventure and deep questions about faith and survival. Martel tells the story of Pi Patel, a young boy who ends up on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The book is amazing because it combines a thrilling journey with a thoughtful look at belief and storytelling. Martel’s writing makes you think about what’s real and what’s possible, making Life of Pi not just an exciting story but also a meaningful experience.
I recently finished Piranesi by Susanna Clarke and I cannot speak enough praise. The titular character lives in a dreamlike house made of endless corridors and unimaginably vast spaces, but beyond the unnerving setting so much of the story and Piranesi’s actions are rooted in our reality. What is real, and what is symbolic of deep elements of the human condition? Read the book and add your voice to that discussion, for it is truly complex and wonderful.
Magical Realism isn’t one of my go to genres, and I can’t really think of a book that I’ve read that fits. While I haven’t read one yet, I plan on picking up The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. One of the main aspects that drew me to this book is the found family trope that is clearly a major part of the story. I’m also intrigued by the fact that it’s just a simple orphanage, but it houses magical children that could potentially cause the end of the world. It sounds like such a wonderful, heartfelt, and profound story and I can’t wait to pick it up to read it!