American Magic Realism: Crossing the Borders in Literatures of the Margins

Authors

  • Magdalena Delicka Author

Keywords:

magic realism, Louise Erdrich, Tracks, Amy Tan, The Hundred Secret Senses

Abstract

This article examines magic realism as a transnational literary mode within American ethnic literatures. It argues that magic realism should not be confined to Latin American traditions but is widely present in African American, Native American, Asian American, and Latino/a writing. Through the analysis of Louise Erdrich’s Tracks and Amy Tan’s The Hundred Secret Senses, the study demonstrates how this mode blurs the boundaries between rational and irrational realities. Drawing on Fredric Jameson and Alejo Carpentier, it highlights the role of magic realism in challenging positivist thought and representing marginalized identities.

 

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)

References

Allen, Paula Gunn. The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Tradition. Boston: Beacon, 1992.

Denney, S. Erin. “Crossing the Borders: Marginalization and Magic Realism in Contemporary British Fiction.” http://www.inkyfingers.com/samerin/proposal.html. 7 May 1997.

-----. “To Be and/or Not to Be: Magic Realism and the Literature of the Margins.” http://www.inkyfingers.com/samerin/chapt1-6.html. 24 April 1997.

Doody, Margaret Anne. The True Story of the Novel. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1996.

Erdrich, Louise. Tracks. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1989.

Jameson, Fredric. “On Magic Realism in Film.” Critical Inquiry 12 (1983): 301- 303.

Owens, Louis. Other Destinies: Understanding the American Indian Novel. Norman OK and London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1992.

Slemon, Stephen. “Magic Realism as Post Colonial Discourse.” Canadian Literature 116, 1988:9-24.

Tan, Amy. The Hundred Secret Senses. New York: Ivy Books, 1995.

“The Spirit Within. The Salon Interview: Amy Tan” http://www.salon1999.com/12nov1995/feature/Tan.html. 15 April 1997.

Young, David and Keith Hollaman. eds. Magical Realist Fiction: An Anthology. New York: Longman Inc., 1984.

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Published

1997-10-01

Issue

Section

Research Articles

Categories

How to Cite

American Magic Realism: Crossing the Borders in Literatures of the Margins. (1997). Journal of American Studies of Turkey, 6, 25-33. https://jast.org.tr/index.php/main/article/view/148