ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s, the terms ‘magic realism’, ‘magical realism’ and ‘marvellous realism’ have become both highly fashionable and highly derided. On the face of it, they are oxymorons describing the forced relationship of irreconcilable terms. It is in fact the inherent inclusion of contradictory elements that has made and sustained the usefulness and popularity of the concepts to which the terms refer. In recent years the term ‘magical realism’ has become the most popularly used one of the three terms, referring to a particular narrative mode. What the narrative mode offers is a way to discuss alternative approaches to reality to that of Western philosophy, expressed in many postcolonial and nonWestern works of contemporary fiction by, most famously, writers such as Gabriel García Márquez and Salman Rushdie. It is this aspect that has made it most pertinent to late twentieth-century literature. However, the widespread use of the term among critics has brought with it its own problems. The popularity of such writing with the reading public has never been higher, but writers and critics are concerned that the terms are being reduced to vague clichés. Writers have been distancing themselves from the term whilst their publishers have increasingly used the terms to describe their works for marketing purposes. This book aims to provide a means to understand the origins of these terms, their differing usages, and provides a way for the reader to gain an understanding of the reasons behind the variety of strong reactions both for and against their use.
