By: Jake Bernstein, Jacob O’Bott, and Andrew Zeng

What is Magical Realism????? Offshoot of realism which treats magical and fantastic elements as reality Established in the 1920’s Primarily associated with Latin American authors

How does this painting represent magical realism?

Jorge Luis Borges Born August 24, 1899 in Argentina Moved to Switzerland at age 15 Started publishing poems and essays in surreal journals after his return to Argentina His collection of short stories known as Historia Universal de la Infamia is considered to be the first piece of magical realism literature

Gabriel García Márquez Born March 6, 1927 in Columbia Began his career as a journalist after dropping out of Law School Considered to be one of the most significant authors of the 20 th century

Influences Borges Macedonio Fernandez George Berkeley Jonathan Swift Franz Kafka Edgar Allen Poe Márquez Alejo Carpentier William Faulkner Franz Kafka Virginia Woolf Juan Rulfo

Influenced Borges Julio Cortázar David Foster Wallace Philip K. Dick César Aira Márquez T.C. Boyle Steve Erickson Michael Chabon Orhan Pamuk

Themes Isolation – Like many of Márquez’s works, “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” has the idea of isolation in it, showing how personal isolation can be overcome through self-improvement. Versions of Reality – Both of the works showcase of different version of reality than the one we are used to. Transformation – Both works showcase a form of transformation, but the two are not the same. In “Borges and Myself”, self transformation is seen, while in “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World”, the transformative power by a great figure is seen.

Discussion Questions 1. Do Esteban’s characteristics represent the satisfaction of female desire? 2. Do people appear different to themselves than others? Use textual evidence and/or outside information. 3. How has the village changed because of the dead man? What is the greater meaning of this? What does this say about the affect people can have on each other? Use textual evidence.