Melanie's comments (member since Jan 06, 2009)

Melanie's comments from the Great Novellas group.

D_Davis wrote:

I've always found it funny that 'Magical Realism' is really just fantasy for the lit-minded scholar.


I kept thinking about what you said here. It's interesting to me and I'd like to know if other readers out there agree with what you said here. Personally, as you know, I've never been into Fantasy. That's all you and mom. I think there's something about the way that magical realism tends to use spirituality as the bridge between the reality and fantasy that makes me more able to grasp. As though it's not the author that is creating an alter universe, but the individual characters. Then again, I don't read fantasy, so for all I know, the same could be said for that.

Look at me spouting off like some lit-minded scholar ;)

Jessica, I second your rec. for Aura!

Dan,

I took a couple Latin American lit classes in high school and college, so if you need anymore magical realism recs, I can look through my collection. Back when I actually read books that are considered thought provoking and "literature" as opposed to the pulp fiction I prefer to read these days, magical realism and latin lit were by far my favorite genre. The one for few things that truly suck about proofreading for a living is that the last thing you want to do when you finish a long day of work is pick up a book. Now days, I need something that I can sit down and read in one sitting, otherwise it never gets read.

OK, sorry, that was totally off-subject.

-mel

Wait, wait, I've got an even better one: Pedro Páramo Juan Rulfo was key to the introduction of Latin American Magical Realism.

House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros.The House on Mango Street