1. Standards
RL Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

2. What is Magical Realism?
Art by Tomek Setowski

3. Definition(s) defined via Merriam Webster
1:  painting in a meticulously realistic style of imaginary or fantastic scenes or images
2:  a literary genre or style associated especially with Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction —called also magical realism

4. How it became so… Franze Roh German art critic in the 1920s
Coined the term to classify evolved artwork
Evolved in the 1940s for literature
Art by Rob Sonsalves

5. Evolved…
Magical realism evolved in the 1940s particularly with Latin cultures
Stories with this quality often featured supernatural, fairytale, and or folklore in them
These stories often have a realistic framework or surface, but with contrasting elements evading the realism causing a change on the whole basis of art

6. Other character traits…
Events and expectations are not followed
“If this thing happens then naturally this will happen next.”
Often things aren’t explained and instead accepted
Often normal objects and places do not act as normally expected

7. You might ask…
What is the purpose of having this kind of literature? Doesn’t it make things hard to find clear lessons in the story?
By Ashlynn Brown

8. And I will answer… What is real?
What do we tend to do when things cannot be explained?
“Magical realism is not a realism to be transfigured by the supplement of a magical perspective, but a reality which is already in and of itself magical or fantastic.”
Fredric Jameson
In other words, magical realism is proclaiming, “We see reality as too limited. Reality DOES include magic, miracle, and monsters.”
A function is served: the inclusion of alternate belief systems.