Author(s): Aslı DEÄÄ°RMENCÄ°
Magical realism and fantasy fiction share the quality of treating the magical and supernatural elements quite favorably. However, there are certain differences in how it each employs those supernatural elements. This study suggests that the main difference in employing the supernatural elements in these genres is the fact that while in magical realism the supernatural is possible in our contemporary world and accepted as a mundane part of reality, in fantasy fiction the supernatural is trapped in completely make-belief worlds with no reference to our world. It is argued that the setting of the stories, in terms of both location and time, is quite significant in determining how the supernatural is presented in those specific ways. Explaining the typical patterns of the choice of setting with examples from renowned examples of both genres, the difference between magical realism and fantasy fiction is thoroughly examined. Questioning the reason for this difference in the treatment of the supernatural, this study also tackles the question whether where these genres have originated and continue to be produced is influential. Accordingly, it also looks at the underlying cultural and socioeconomic reasons that prompt the writers to use the supernatural in their fiction in these specific ways in addition to the different stages of capitalism in the countries and societies from which these two genres of fiction mainly emerge
The Journal of International Social Research received 8982 citations as per Google Scholar report
