The nagging questions about Magical Realism continue to nag, to which I add a few ramblings. The phrase "political perspective" also needs a bit more clearness. A clear political perspective needn't always be a matter of plot. Perhaps MR becomes easier to work with if the emphasis on "realism" is not subordinate to "magical." I distinguish MR from "mainstream" fantasy, or from "mere" fantasy, by MR's subversive potential. It's not just against dominant "Western" political values, but against the "dominant" in any society. As has been pointed out in this list, MR is (was) often found in Eastern European countries, where a fantastical narrative was necessarily a subversion of Socialist Realism. The "realistic" elements are those that pertain to local reality, from which the "magical" deviates. So in Hollywood, where "fantasy" is the norm, MR cannot be "mere" fantasy. *************************************************** * Cary Nathenson * * Freie Universitaet Berlin * * Washington University in St. Louis * * * * <[log in to unmask]> * ***************************************************