c o l u m n

SUBJECT 2 INTERPRETATION

Note: This column offers insights into other literary forms that often resemble or share attributes with magical realism. The goal of this column is to highlight shifting notions and biases about cutting edge literature.

Q What is your definition of literary magical realism?

We've been collecting definitions from people we encounter at writers conferences, or through general correspondence and submissions. One of the most educational aspects of Margin has to be its acknowledgment that people, from all walks of life, do not agree on a singular definition of magical realism. When Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier coined the term magical realism—known in Spanish as lo real maravilloso—he doubtless had no idea just how contentious and enduring the discussion of "What is magical realism?" would become worldwide, in academia and literary publishing.

Since this is still "back to school" time, we'd like to share a variety of the definitions we've received over the last year. Feel free to respond to any or all of these definitions by e-mailing the editor, or send us your own definition, if you see that it veers severely from the path we have laid out below.

NOTE: If you are an educator, and you'd like to challenge your class to write the best definition of magical realism, let us know, and we can arrange a special feature on the outcome of your experiment!—The Editors

M A G I C A L   R E A L I S M   . . .

". . .is what was once the world of the shaman. That is to say it is based upon the real or mundane world upon which the dream world is added. Magic or dream elements happen everyday before our eyes but usually we are too busy with our self-centered thoughts to notice. It is the job of the writer, once the shaman's role, to awaken us to the strange things happening all around us and to incorporate them into our lives. Not that every magical thing is nice. Nightmares, too, show us part of the world—but without assimilating all aspects of the strange and magical in life, we cannot truly appreciate the wonder."—E.P. Allen, Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan

". . .occurs when the disbelief of the reader and writer produces a momentary shift in the real world wherein an element of the surreal enters and leaves with ease."—Carol Bachofner, Victorville, California

". . .is a fiercely lush invocation, an urgent abundance, absurdly strewn, hewn at an angle and yet, underneath it, inside it: an emotional honesty far truer than anything that masquerades for logic or is pawned as bare fact. It is tangible, this magic, it guides us home to the lost familiar reliquaries of childhoods filtered through life."—Allison deFreese, Kansas native

". . .is something that exists, has always existed, and always will exist. It is how the believers find each other."—Fox Dickovick, Lincroft, New Jersey

". . .consists of the world of the spirit and the world of the senses as defined by sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Those worlds meet, blur, meld and create a reality that resonates for the reader and listener. Magic realism transcends and creates a continuum of time that lets then and now and the infinite be one."—Patricia Harrington, Tacoma, Washington

". . .is realistic, in that it deals with ordinary people in existing or possible social and economic circumstances in any time period or culture. It is magical in that the laws of nature and/or science are sometimes broken, whether by spirits, talking animals or characters with superhuman abilities. The realistic and the magical are allowed to abrade each other, making the unbelievable more commonplace and the ordinary more full of wonder."—Maggie Kast, Chicago, Illinois

". . .is an imaginary frog in a real garden.* "—Dinty Moore, Altoona, Pennsylvania
         *with apologies to Marianne Moore

". . .is the blurring of borders that results in the juxtaposition of the seen and the unseen, the innocent and the expert, the concrete and the transcendent."—Jeanne Morel, Seattle, Washington

". . .is able to explain the inexplicable, that which is always just on the tip of the tongue. There is a thread, a vibration which runs through all things, it is invisible, without taste or aroma, yet we all know that it is there. We can't feel it, yet we sense it. We can't explain it, but are in perpetual wonder about it. It provides us with the answers we seek, yet it cannot be proved."—Peter Riordan, San Diego, California

". . .is the matter-of-fact presentation of the fantastical."—J.D. Smith, Aurora, Illinois

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