I’m leading into the last month of my tenth grader’s school year and I have to say…I’m learning more this year than last year. I have learned more about Realism and the origins of Science Fiction. But the magical realism lesson stuck with me the most, mainly because I can finally put a name to it.
See, I watched Encanto and loved the realistic storytelling and commentary, but I couldn’t a name to the genre. I KNEW it wasn’t fantasy because I knew the genre’s characteristics – or conventions if you will – but I couldn’t pin it down. It wasn’t until I actually studied and taught magical realism that I could say “Oh! That’s what it is!” Then, like clockwork, I did a deep dive into the genre and realized that I had read a few of them in my high school years and watched a few more later in life:
- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
- The Nose by Nikolai Gogol
- The Circular Ruins by Jorge Luis Borges
- South Belle Insults series by Keke Palmer
- Death Note
- Once Upon a Time
- Kung Fu (reboot)
Magical Realism kinda spoke to me. To use magic as an allegorical device – to speak about social/political issues – is something I find myself wanting to explore. The fact that memories and magic can go hand and hand makes it a no-brainer for me…except that I want to understand it more. I know more than enough about the genre, not the magic since I’m actually pretty good at fantasy. (Oddly enough, I haven’t written a fantasy novel, yet…I should fix that.) Anyway, I think I shall try writing a magical realist novel. Not now, obviously; I still have some projects to complete before adding a new one.
Remember…if you’re not learning, you’re dying.
Please don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) on my web page’s right side. Also, I love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and Fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2024. For this year, my goal is 150, and I’m already at 105 (70%). Given that I’m in school and teaching English, I will blast through this challenge.
