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Similarities between magical realism and gothic literature
Similarities between magical realism and gothic literature









He also maintained its effectivity, as those colonized tell the story. Salman Rushdie once explained his belief in magical realism as postcolonial discourse. Saleem is disintegrating, just as India is divided into smaller states (Bowers, 2004). By the end of the text, however, the children have gone separate ways and lost their gifts, just as India lost hope for a better future. These children represent the future of a democratic nation. Saleem has a gift similar to telepathy, which enables him to speak to the rest of the midnight’s children in his head. This text is also an allegory, specifically of India’s history. Saleem is born at the stroke of midnight, August 15, 1947, the day India gained independence from the British Raj (Bounse, 2009). India’s history is intertwined with Saleem’s from the moment of his birth. The novel follows Saleem Sinai as he narrates his family’s history to Padma, his listener. Midnight’s Children constructs a new depiction of Indian history. Rushdie has always been clear about Márquez being a great influence of his work. Salman Rushdie is another well-known MR author. In one interview conducted in 1973, the author asserts that surrealism was adopted from the reality of South America. Márquez once said he employs magical realism in his work because it accurately depicts life in Latin America. The text is an allegory of Latin America’s infamous history. Frequent rainstorms and a hurricane finally erase the town from existence (Milne, 2017). The town is initially prosperous, attracting gypsies. José Arcadio Buendía builds a town, Macondo, by the river. One Hundred Years of Solitude tells of the rise and fall of Macondo through the tale of seven generations of the Buendía family. Postcolonial writers such as Gabriel García Márquez and Salman Rushdie write in response to the authority exercised by the Western powers (Benny). Post-colonialism asserts not only the right of African, Asian, and Latin American people to access resources and material well-being, but also the dynamic power of their cultures (Young, ‎2009). The three non-western continents, Africa, Asia, Latin America, were in subordination to Europe and North America. Postcolonial discourse rose from the Western world’s imperial expansion in the 19th and 20th centuries.

similarities between magical realism and gothic literature

This is necessary as people of liberated nations did not experience cultural freedom though they achieved political freedom (Suganya & Tamizharasi, 2016). Postcolonial literature is a way of reconsidering the identity of a nation after independence.

similarities between magical realism and gothic literature

“Post-colonialism” refers to the political and social attitude that opposes colonialism due to the recognized effects of colonialism. MR has become important for postcolonial cultures, providing the literary ground for marginalized voices and submerged traditions.

similarities between magical realism and gothic literature

It serves the unique purpose of reclaiming the history of colonized people, on whom colonizers imposed an alien culture. Magic literature evokes emotions whereas MR aims to express emotions. If this were valid, fantasy literature would be a post-colonial phenomenon, which is not necessarily the case. Critics often reduce magical realism to a mere synonym of the “fantasy” genre. Magical realism (MR) fuses magic and realism together to form one new perspective.











Similarities between magical realism and gothic literature