Magic Realism in Eva Luna

Magic realism is a description of a certain sub genre that combines realism with fantastic and dreamlike elements. This term may be thought as a paradox- magic is not real- but such novels do not create a new world such as fantasy novels do, but suggest that the world is filled with secrets. These magical elements are not questioned and are simply apart of that reality. The mysterious, the beautiful and the amazing are expressed as magical, and perhaps are magical to the human perception of the world. Magic realism and its associated elements and techniques are displayed in Isabel Allende's novel Eva Luna. This novel displays realism alongside magical components that are seen as normal to the characters. It experiments with plot and style, and blurs traditional reactions to subjects. Materials from fairytale-like stories are used, political/social subjects are explored, time is represented as circular, and the paradox of the union of opposites is explored. All these characteristics of ...