Magical Realism in Twenty-First-Century Transnational Fiction

The Global Supernatural
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-041-00144-7
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 232 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm

Reihe: Routledge Studies in Speculative Fiction

Magical Realism in Twenty-First-Century Transnational Fiction: The Global Supernatural offers a much-needed re-evaluation of magical realism, moving beyond traditional postcolonial frameworks to explore its vibrant evolution in the 21st century. Analysing the works of contemporary authors like Helen Oyeyemi, Mohsin Hamid, Preeta Samarasan and Junot Díaz, this book explores how magical realism has been adapted to depict the complex, fluid identities and experiences of migrants and their children in a globalised world. By employing the psychoanalytic concept of relationality, it examines the intricate interplay between cultures, beliefs and personal narratives. Challenging outdated notions of ‘magic’ versus ‘realism’, this study reveals how the supernatural is used to express the disorientation, paradox and trauma of transnational lives. This book is essential for anyone seeking to understand the enduring creative power of magical realism.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Chichester, D.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Kolonialgeschichte, Geschichte des Imperialismus
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literarische Gattungen
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen Kolonialismus, Imperialismus
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literarische Strömungen & Epochen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements Introduction

Chapter One: Trauma and the abiku: Literalising the collapse of national identity in Helen Oyeyemi’s The Icarus Girl

Chapter Two: Homelessness, supernatural migrations and disconnected connectivity in the deterritorialised magical realism of Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West

Chapter Three: The transnational elite, the denial of human relatedness and gothic magical realism in Preeta Samarasan’s Evening is the Whole Day

Chapter Four: Writing the lightning: Family relatedness, transnational curses and metafictional magical realism in Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Conclusion

Index

Über Autor(innen)

D. Chichester is an independent researcher specialising in contemporary global literature. His research focuses on the evolving landscape of magical realism and speculative fiction in the 21st century, with emphasis on how authors depict the experiences of migrants and their children. Holding a PhD from King’s College London, D. Chichester is committed to advancing scholarship in global literature and exploring the innovative ways authors creatively address today’s fragmented social realities.