Gabriel Garcia Marquez belongs to the literary movement of Magical Realism. This movement was characteristic of Latin American
literature. It was first described by the Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier who called it Marvelous Reality. Another writer that
pioneered this literary movement was the Venezuelan writer Arturo Uslar-Pietri who along with Gabriel Garcia Marquez became the leaders of this new literary trend.
The characteristics of
Magical Realism are the fantastic elements which might seem real and palpable. Characters in their stories usually accept
rather than question the logic of the magical element, making fictional element seem real, for example, in the short story
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez “A very old man with enormous wings” the characters accept the fact that the man has
enormous wings as if it was something normal in life. Another characteristic of Magical Realism is the exhibition of richness
of sensory details that give their literary pieces believable. They also employ many symbols and imagery extensively, reveals
emotions and human sexuality as a social construct are often developed in great detail. In addition, they also like to create
distorts in time so that it is cynical or so that it appears absent, this can be found in the novel Chronicle of a Death
Foretold, where Gabriel Garcia Marquez plays around with time going back and forth. The book starts in the middle of the
story where Santiago Nasar, and then goes to explain how he dies, and concludes with what happens after his assassination
had been assimilated by society. This is also an example of how they invert cause
and effect, for instance how a character suffers before a tragedy occurs. They also incorporate legends and folklore usually
pertaining to their native land.
Magical Realism is still
present today and continues to be one of the most innovative movements in world literature. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is consider
to be of the best writers of this movement and will continue to influence the world with his works.
