 Fantasy: July 13, 2005 Issue [#493] |
  Fantasy
This week: Edited by: W.D.Wilcox  
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My Mom used to say, “You live in a fantasy world! When are you gonna wakeup and get your head out of the clouds!” 
Well, my head is still full of sky, and my visions of fantastic worlds burns brighter than ever in my mind. I grew up loving sword and sorcery, fantasy, sci-fi, worlds that could only be saved by the most unlikly of underdogs.
I realized then, that all great stories are filled with unlikely heros and that writing fantasy or any other genre is never about the genre itself. It’s about the people--it’s always about the people.
--W.D.Wilcox
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I was reading something by somebody the other day, I don’t know who, but it stirred my imagination. You know me, I love to escape into a good fantasy, but this was different--this was “real fantasy”, a whole new concept for me, but one I took seriously, because that is what it's all about. . . .
Magical realism
If a editor asks for submissions that are magical realism, what she's really saying is that she wants contemporary fantasy written to a high literary standard---fantasy that readers who "don't read escapist literature" will happily read.
So what is magical realism?
It is serious fiction, which is to say, it is not escapist. Sci-fi and fantasy are escapist. But magical realism is always serious, never escapist, because it is trying to convey the reality of one or several worldviews that actually exist, or have existed. Magical realism is a kind of realism, but one different from the realism that most of our culture now experiences.
Science fiction and fantasy are always speculative: What if vampires were real? What if we could travel faster than light?
But magical realism is not speculative. Instead, it tells its stories from the perspective of people who live in our world and experience a different reality from the one we call objective. If there is a ghost in a story of magical realism, the ghost is not a fantasy element but a manifestation of the reality of people who believe in and have "real" experiences of ghosts. Magical realist fiction depicts the real world of people whose reality is different from ours. It's not speculation. Magical realism endeavors to show us the world through other eyes. Magical realism leaves you with the understanding that this world of unicorns or vampires is one that people really live in and the feeling that maybe this view is correct.
If your view of the world includes miracles and angels, beast-men and women of unearthly beauty, gods walking among us and ceremonies that can end a drought, then all of these things are as ordinary to you as automobiles, desert streams, and ice in the tropics. At the same time, the whole world is enchanted, mysterious--as astonishing as angels.
Magical realism is a distinctive form of fiction that aims to produce the experience of a non-objective world view. Its techniques are particular to that world view, and while they may at first look something like the techniques of sophisticated fantasy, magical realism is trying to do more than play with reality's rules. It is conveying realities that other people really do experience, or once experienced.
Magical realism is fascinating to read, and I hope to see more writers exploring its possibilities and helping all of us to somehow re-enchant the world.
Until next time  ,
billwilcox
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FEEDBACK
Last time Akura and I talked about Archetypal Characters. This is what the readers had to say...
wolfshadow remarks:
For those interested in archetypes, Sheri S. Tepper actually has several books that revolve around the idea. I can't remember the name of the exact book but archetypes live in specified villages where they live their lives conforming to their roles. It's really a fascinating approach.
Schezar  comments:
Perfect, just what I needed! I just recently bought a complete collection of the Grimm Brothers' fairytales to try and figure out for myself the founding elements and archetypal characters. Really enjoyed the newsletter and look forward to more! Thanks!
Remember, there are seven golden words to writing a great story:
Love. Hate. Good. Evil. Courage. Honor. Truth.
People tend to forget them, but they are the foundation to every tale.
--W.D.Wilcox
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