1. Magical Realism and The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World
World Literature
Magical Realism and The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World

2. Magical Realism
Magical realism is a category of fiction in which fantastic, unbelievable events take place in a realistic setting.
It is associated with Latin American fiction.
Read the excerpt from “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.” Answer the following questions.
What is unrealistic or fantastic about the passage?
What is realistic about the passage?

3. Characteristics of Magical Realism
Realistic Elements- contains recognizable characters, believable dialogue, a true-to life setting and accounts of actual historical events.
Magical Elements- contains supernatural or mysterious elements
Humor and Exaggeration- uses a lot of description using this element of writing

4. Magical Realism cont.
Distortions of Time and Identity- readers may see events and characters blurred or changed during reading.
Political and Social Commentary- writers directly or indirectly address important political and social issues such as racism, tyranny, and conformity

5. Handsomest Drowned Man in the World by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gabriel Garcia Marquez –born in Columbia
Influenced by his grandmother’s unique storytelling style
Abandoned his law studies to pursue a career as a journalist
Became a freelance journalist where he worked in France, England and Venezuela.
Established a news agency in Havana and New York.

6. Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1982
Greatest literature achievement has been the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, which was published in 1967
In 1999, García Márquez was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer, and to this day he suffers under a regimen of treatments.

7. Connect to Your Life
Have you ever met or heard of someone who made you want to live your life differently? Write a few sentences about this person.
Focus your reading on what the drowned man represents as you are reading the story. As you read the story, pay attention to the effects that the drowned man has on the people of the village. Jot down the effects in a chart.

8. Before Reading
Copy the definitions for the vocabulary words listed at the bottom page of the story in your notebook.
labyrinth improvise
haggard
virile
arid

9. Half a Day
By Naguib Mahfouz

10. Naguib Mahfouz Awarded 1988 Nobel Prize in literature Born in Cairo
Earned a degree in philosophy and started to publish his fiction
Supported peace with Israel and was not admired universally
Nearly all of his work takes place in Cairo
In Half a Day Mahrouz hints, at the degree of change he has seen in Cairo over his lifetime
Died August 30, 2006

11. Connect to Your Life
“Half a Day” begins with the narrator remembering his first day of school as a young boy. In what ways have you changed since your first day of school? In what ways has your community changed?
As you read “Half a Day,” ask yourself, How does the title relate to the meaning of the story? What idea is the title referring to?

12. Focus Your Reading
As you read “Half a Day” try to identify with the feelings and experiences of the main character. Then, after you’ve finished the story, complete the following sentence in your notebook: ______________ in the story reminds me of a time in my life when______________________________.

13. Vocabulary
Copy words and definitions for the words at the bottom of pages
Assessment: Write a one-paragraph summary of the short story “Half a Day”. An effective summary will present the main events in chronological order and summarizes will be judged according to your accuracy and completeness.

14. School Memory
In a personal narrative, describe a vivid memory you have of your early school days. Due

15. Counting in Sevens by Judith Wright
How does the speaker of the poem measure and mark the passage of time?
Identify some of the strange presents the speaker has been given at different ages.