Magical realism basics
This genre blends the fantastical with the ordinary, treating supernatural events as part of everyday life.
What is magical realism?
This character archetype embarks on a journey and faces challenges to grow or change.
Who is the Hero?
This House of the Spirits character embodies the Seer/Prophet archetype.
Who is Clara?
In magical realism, magical elements are treated in this way by characters and the narrator.
What is normal or ordinary?
This wise guide helps the hero by offering knowledge or protection.
Who is the Mentor?
This town in One Hundred Years of Solitude serves as a mythical setting.
What is Macondo?
This Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author is known for One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Who is Gabriel Garcia Marquez?
Carl Jung believed archetypes came from this part of the human psyche.
What is the collective unconscious?
Murakami often uses this archetype, represented by talking cats and cryptic old men.
What is the Wise Old Man (or Magical Helper)?
This term describes the narrator’s refusal to explain magical elements.
What is authorial reticence?
The trickster archetype often uses this to cause change or reveal truth.
What is humor or deception?
Archetypes in magical realism help link the magical to this universal realm.
What is the subconscious or mythology?
Magical realism often critiques these two aspects of society.
What are politics and social structures (or colonialism and authoritarianism)?
This archetype often represents the hero’s inner darkness or the antagonist.
What is the Shadow?
In magical realism, archetypes often appear through these two narrative devices.
What are symbolism and recurring character roles?