Magical Realism

                                                         Magical Realism

Magical realism is a type of fiction where the setting is in the real world, but extraordinary events that never could actually happen, happen.  “The Continuity of Parks” by Julio Cortazar is a classic example of magical realism.

In the story a man is sitting in his favorite green velvet armchair reading a book that he had set aside before to attend to urgent business.  He read about two lovers who met up in a cabin so they could plot to kill a man. When they are finished the woman leaves the cabin and her lover goes to kill the man.  He gets to the man’s house and finds the man sitting in his favorite green velvet armchair reading a book.

This story is set in the real world. It describes the man just sitting in an ordinary green velvet armchair reading an ordinary book. The man has an ordinary cigarette and he is having an ordinary day at first.  The setting isn’t in a mystical world or anything like that.  It is set in the ordinary real world. The extraordinary event is, what happens in the book is happening in real life and the guy that the lover is trying to kill is the man in the chair. This could never actually happen in real life. The man in the chair is “anchored in his while partially dangling himself in the other world, where he is not in control.”(Palmer) This quote shows exactly what magical realism is all about. He is anchored in the real world, but uncontrollable, extraordinary events are

happening in his real world.   Since the setting happens in the real world and there is an extraordinary event this proves that it is magical realism.

            Some people may argue that the story is not magical realism because the event happened in the real world, and maybe the man in the chair was dreaming or something.  However, the author clearly shows that the man is awake and he is reading the story.  It is impossible for anyone to read a story about what is happening at that exact moment.  It is also impossible for anyone to read a story that tells how they are going to die right as the killer is coming in the room to kill them.  Since the events are so extraordinary and the events took place in the real world the story is clearly an example of magical realism.  It fits all the criteria for magical realism.

            People may argue that “The Continuity of Parks” is not an example of magical realism.  However, there is clear proof that “The Continuity of Parks” does demonstrate the main criteria for magical realism and therefore there is proof that it is an example of magical realism.

                                                    Work Cited 

Cortazar, Julio. "The Continuity of Parks".  5 Jan 2011. <http://www.continuityofparks.com/storage/continuity.pdf>.

Palmer, Julia. "Vers, Voyeurism, and the Stalker Narrative in Cortazar's 'Continuidad de los Parques'." Romance Quarterly (2009). Web. 5 Jan 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=LitRC&userGroupName=ucinc_main&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE|A201031523&&docId=GALE|A201031523&docType=GALE&role=LitRC>.