[Ads-l] Antedating of "Magic Realism"

[James Eric Lawson]

On 1/11/23 12:43, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> I believe so.. "Magic realism" in English and elsewhere is now a
> recognized literary genre, not a characteristic. The term may have
> entered English, evidently from Spanish in or before 1970, but I think
> it would be more useful for Oxford to separate the visual and verbal
> senses. They appear (so far) to be separated by several decades.
> 
> In literature, "magic realism" isn't just an "extended use": it's a
> term of art (no pun intended) that seems not to have existed in
> English before the early '70s.
> 

Upon reflection (and after hours of nonfigurative dental
"treatment"), I'd concur, but argue that a third, general sense,
which may be adequately expressed by OED's "extended use"
definition, dominates and antedates the literary and critical theory
muddle, which last persists even now.

The proffered antedatings from me, Fred Shapiro and Stephen Goranson
(although 'magical realism', OEDO 1937, could profitably be
distinguished from 'magic realism' in the specialized senses), along
with other citations, could provide attestation for the general
sense (sense 1 by historical dictionary logic).

> On Wed, Jan 11, 2023 at 3:31 PM James Eric Lawson <jel at nventure.com> wrote:
>>
>> Do your two bits still have purchase in light of OED's "In extended use:
>> any artistic or esp. literary style in which realistic techniques such
>> as naturalistic detail, narrative, etc., are similarly combined with
>> surreal or dreamlike elements."?
>>
>> On 1/11/23 12:21, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>> Not to quibble or retract any praise, but both cases now seem to me
>>> factitious.  In other words, Kipling isn't practicing a kind of
>>> realism that includes and relies on magical or fantasy elements;
>>> he's practicing realism with "magical" skill, like making us believe
>>> it when animals talk.
>>>
>>> The difference is between that of skill and that of genre.
>>>
>>> I think this is especially likely since the OED's earliest cites refer
>>> to paintingand  not literature. Its earliest literary ex., moreover,
>>> seems to be erroneous. To quote from a 1972 review of the 1970
>>> academic book cited:
>>>
>>> "First, one should point out that what Serrano-Plaja calls 'magic
>>> realism' has nothing to do with what is called _realismo magico_ in
>>> contemporary Spanish-American fiction. The key word in both cases is
>>> magic, which occurs, according to Serrano- Plaja's definition, when 'a
>>> thing is true, and at the same time it is a lie' (pp. 19-20)."
>>>
>>> As a grad student in English (not Spanish,_ n.b.)_, I'm sure I didn't
>>> hear of "magic realism" before the mid-to-late '70s
>>>
>>> My two bits (currency inflation).
>>>
>>> JL
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Jan 11, 2023 at 9:56 AM Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Really great, or magic:
>>>>
>>>> "All these elements present an almost magical realism."
>>>> The Athenaeum, 1887:
>>>>
>>>> https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Athenaeum/KWRIAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22magical+realism%22&pg=PA708&printsec=frontcover
>>>> ________________________________
>>>> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2023 9:06 AM
>>>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>> Subject: Re: Antedating of "Magic Realism"
>>>>
>>>> Really a great find.
>>>>
>>>> JL
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Jan 11, 2023 at 9:05 AM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> magic realism (OED 1933)
>>>>>
>>>>> 1901 The Academy 19 Oct. 359 (Google Books)  There is nothing of Mr.
>>>>> Kipling's magic realism in assuming the personalities of animals.
>>>>>
>>>>> Fred Shapiro
>>>>>
>>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
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>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>>>>
>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
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-- 
James Eric Lawson

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