Magical realism has been defined and translated as being many things. Magical realism is, more than anything else, an attitude toward reality that can be expressed in popular or cultured forms, in elaborate or rustic styles in closed or open structures. In magical realism the writer confronts reality and tries to untangle it, to discover what is mysterious in things, in life, in human acts. This is best defined by Julio Cortazar, a brilliant Latin American author. His short story “The Continuity of Parks” describes a twisted tale of a man, lover, and a killer. In my opinion at first, the story was a little too farfetched and complicated, because I was lacked the knowledge of his writing style. After analyzing the story in class it made more sense. I related more to Cortazar’s story “Our Demeanor at Wakes”, because it reminded me of my grandfather’s funeral. It was a competition of who can show the most remorse and who loved him even more. My experience wasn’t at the extent of the stories, but it was a terrible event.
On the other hand “Axolotl” was confusing and difficult to understand. I do understand that the story is about isolation can be alleviated by art, but I don’t understand how’s it being expressed through a salamander. Julio Cortazar is an amazing, confusing and political minded writer, but not of my taste.
I like your exploration of the meanings of magical realism. I'm glad the class discussions help make this stuff easier to understand. Your story about your grandfather's funeral is amazing.It's okay, though, if you don't like this kind of twisty narrative.
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