similarities between magical realism and gothic literature

#Similarities between magical realism and gothic literature free#

While there may be similarities, testimonio is not the same as other non-fiction genres such as biography, autobiography, and historical texts. Testimonio is generally considered a fact-based first person narrative of injustice, seeking to represent the experiences of a larger social group, with the aim of rallying support to create more just future. “Testimonio” is a literary genre and is not bound by the same legal obligations to “truth” which are equated with “testimony”. Testimonio, is directly translated to the English word “testimony,” but there are important differences between the two words. In this post I will explain the structure and goals of testimonio and show where it intersects magical realism. My last post detailed the history of magical realism and the its goals as a postcolonial literary genre. My thesis will propose that we rethink “real” by looking at postcolonial magical realist novels from a testimonial perspective, analyzing the similarities between the genres and how they work together to achieve the shared goal of a more just future.

#Similarities between magical realism and gothic literature free#

Instead, she is creating within the walls of her room, the beautiful place that she hopes Gaza can become, where women are free to express themselves as they please, and sends her photographs out into the world as her magical realist testimony. Like the unborn children in Manuel Sendero, Nadia is refusing to leave her home and be subject to undue injustice. Nidaa says, “Everything is beautiful, but only in my room, not in Gaza. I’m ready to die in this room unless I find a better place.” Nidaa expresses how in her room she has found space and freedom that the outside world cannot offer. Nidaa’s story parallels the fetus rebellion as she puts into action the magical realist testimonial’s objective of sharing stories of injustice and depicting an alternative reality.

The fetus chosen is the unborn son of Manuel Sendero, a famous singer, who protests the authoritarian regime in Chile through his art. They elect one of the fetuses to be born and face the harsh world with the task of eradicating Chile’s injustice. Little do the people of Chile know, the fetuses have refused to be born into the corrupt and unjust world that is Chile’s present reality, and have resolved to remain in the safety of their mothers’ wombs until a safe, just world is created for them. There are several story lines within the novel, one of which revolves around “the rebellion of the fetuses.” Pregnant women all over Chile have been carrying their unborn children for well over the normal gestation period, and no one can quite understand the phenomenon.

One of the novels my thesis will explore as a magical realist testimonio is Ariel Dorfman’s The Last Song of Manuel Sendero. Nidaa’s story is an example of magical realist testimonio in action, and is closely aligned with ideas I’ll be exploring in my thesis. From “100 Days of Solitude” by Nidaa Badwan