THE WORLD OF MAGIC REALISM
Summer 2019
LIFE INSTITUTE, Ryarson University
Instructor: Svitlana Kobets, PhD
The term magic realism was coined in 1920s to denote a literary genre where fantastic, unreal events were taking place in an otherwise real world. The twentieth century literature was marked by a number of magic realism masterpieces, which represent a variety of countries and cultures. In this course we will explore this contemporary literary genre and literary movement through the analysis of several most known and representative works by Gabriel Garcia Marquez’, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar,as well as Nikolai Gogol, Franz Kafka and Mikhail Bulgakov. Our discussions will revolve around historical, religious, philosophical as well as cultural and literary issues, which these works contemplate.
STUDY QUESTIONS
Schedule
Class 1
July 23
MAGIC REALISM: the term and the concept
Marquez, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
Marquez, The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World
Class 2
July 30
Marquez, Blacaman the Good, Vendor of Miracles
Class 3
August 6
Jorge Luis Borges, The Circular Ruins
Jorge Luis Borges, The Secret Miracle (additional/optional)
Jorge Luis Borges, The Immortal
The Theme of the Traitor and the Hero (additional/optional)
Three Versions of Judas
Class 4
August 13
Jorge Luis Borges, The Lottery in Babylon
Jorge Luis Borges, The Library of Babel
Jorge Luis Borges, Alef
Class 5
August 20
Julio Cortázar, Blow Up, Axolotl, The Night Face Up
Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis
Class 6
August 27
Magic Realism before “Magic Realism”: Nikolai Gogol, The Nose
William Faulkner, The Old People
Mikhail Bulgakov, The Heart of the Dog
READINGS
Magical Realist Fiction: An Anthology, David Young and Keith Hollaman (eds.) 1984
Julio Cortázar, Blow Up and Other Stories, Paul Blackburn (transl.) 1967
Jorge Luis Borges, Collected Fictions, Andrew Hurley (transl.) 1998
Mikhail Bulgakov, The Heart of the Dog (transl.) 1925
STUDY QUESTIONS
Suggestions for Further Reading:
Miguel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children
Toni Morrison, Beloved
Julio Cortázar, House taken over (short story)
Alejo Carpentier, The Kingdom of This World (novel)
Miguel Angel Asturias, Men of Maize (novel)
Ben Okri, The Famished Road (novel)
Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate (novel)
