Magic Realism is a literary genre in which magical elements are presented in a realistic setting as though they are ordinary occurrences. Gabriel García Márquez is one of the most prominent and defining figures of this genre, particularly in Latin American literature.
🔍 Why "Magic Realism"?
Key Features of Magic Realism:
Blends magical elements with everyday events.
Treats the supernatural as mundane and unremarkable.
Challenges Western perceptions of reality.
Rooted in Latin American cultural, political, and historical contexts.
Marquez’s Landmark Work:
📖 "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (1967) is the most famous example.
The novel features fantastical events (e.g., flying carpets, ghosts, insomnia plague) narrated with a straight-faced, matter-of-fact tone.
This blurring of the magical and the real is core to the genre of Magic Realism.
Other Works by Márquez:
"Chronicle of a Death Foretold"
"Love in the Time of Cholera"
All utilize elements of myth, legend, and fantasy, grounded in realistic social environments.
❌ Why Not the Other Options?
(1) Epic Theatre:
Associated with Bertolt Brecht, not Márquez.
Focuses on alienating the audience to promote critical thinking — not magical or fantastical storytelling.
(2) Naturalism:
A literary movement emphasizing scientific determinism and realism, often portraying the darker aspects of life.
Márquez’s work incorporates fantastical elements, which contradict Naturalism.
(4) Impressionism:
A style focusing on the subjective perception of reality, more common in art and some modernist literature.
While Márquez might evoke mood or atmosphere, his use of magic realism is more central.
Year-wise PYQs
