Magical Realism

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how the use of Magical Realism, as a technique, in "Pedro Paramo" by Juan Rulfo and "Death Constant Beyond Love" by Gabriel-Garcia Marquez, is essentially one whereby elements of the unreal are inextricably woven into real life to question the difference, if any, between illusion and reality. The paper shows how the use of the technique is apparent in the overall story as well as in the way the principal protagonists are shown dealing with life.

From the Paper:

"Similarly, in Death Constant Beyond Love, Gabriel Garca-Marquezs story of Senator Onesimo Sanchezs continual quest for life in the face of imminent death, the question of illusion and reality is highlighted through the Senator's continued campaigning and his indulgence in an affair that ultimately causes his downfall. Was the Senator deluding himself with the only reality being death or was the Senator only continuing to live what had always been his reality as in the false make-believe world of politics and in fact, being realistic, by making most of the time he had left with Laura ("he found the woman of his life": 2430)" Thus, the lines between illusion and reality begin to blur depending on the perspective from which it is considered " the Senator's or the reader's."

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• Comparison Essay # 96657 : "Latin American Magical Realism"

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