Magical Realism

Which plot event would you most expect to see as a magical realism story unfolds?

• a visit from people in a time machine

• a tree that seems to sigh and groan in the wind

• aliens take over The White House

• ghosts who rob The Metropolitan Museum

Which event would be a likely part of the development of a magical realist story?

• Huge sharks threaten the main character.

• The mayor is finally voted out of office.

• A teen finds out that she was accepted into college.

• Water in a bowl turns red and boils for no reason.

In a magical realist story, a truck driver gets four flat tires in a row. When he goes to fix them, he finds that they have fixed themselves. What would you expect to see as the truck driver’s response to these events?

• The truck driver would call his boss and angrily quit on the spot.

• The truck driver would search frantically for the person who made the repair.

• The truck driver would keep driving as if nothing unusual had occurred.

• The truck driver would call the police to report the unusual incident.

Which event would you expect to see as a magical realist story unfolds?

• A poor but kindly woman finds out that her old typewriter is actually worth thousands of dollars.

• An old typewriter begins to type words at a very fast speed, although there is no one at the keyboard.

• An eccentric scientist uses an old typewriter to build a teleportation device that takes him to another galaxy.

• A frustrated man quits his good job and decides he will now write movie screenplays on an old typewriter.

Magical Realism can best be described as

• an artistic genre in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even normal setting.

• an artistic genre in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise fantastical setting.

• an artistic genre in which realistic scenarios appear in a normal setting.

• an artistic genre in which realistic scenarios appear in a fantastical setting.

Magical Realism blends______________

• the abstract with the concrete

• magic and reality

• science fiction with reality

• magic with skepticism

• science fiction and magic

Magical realism...

• ...creates a world where fantastic things are real.

• ...challenges the way we see our own reality.

Which of the following is NOT an element of Magical Realism as seen in "The Metamorphosis"?

• Incorporation of magical elements into a realistic setting

• Real-world setting with extraordinary events treated as mundane

• Clear and detailed descriptions of magical elements

• Use of advanced technology as a central theme

All of the following are characteristics of magical realism except

• real world

• fantasy worlds

• realistic characters

• murky morality

Magic Realism does NOT include

• predictable and boring

• ordinary with the extraordinary

• silly and crazy

• mundane with the fastastic