Magic in the Modern World

If you’ve ever spent time in any library, you’d know that the number of literary genres is staggering. Stretching fromnon-fiction to contemporary to fantasy, books come in all shapes, sizes and storylines. 

Due to the wide variety of genres however, many similar literary genres are often confused for each other. Take magical realism for example. It is a genre including books such as ‘The House of the Spirits’ by Isabel Allende that seeks to create a realistic, grounded universe with undercurrents of fantastical elements. But unless you are an avid reader yourself, or know every literary genre, it is very easy to confuse it for contemporary fantasy or even fabulism. Most people don’t know the difference between these three distinct genres, and this incomprehension can hurt both readers and authors in the long run. 

So, what is the difference, and how can we accurately determine a book's genre? 

Well, let’s begin with the most distinct of the above three genres:contemporary fantasy. In contemporary fantasy, magical creatures of some sort are (quite obvious to both the reader and the book’s characters) brought into the modern world.  Magical realism and fabulism, on the other hand, feature slight elements of magic in what otherwise appears to be a completely normal world. Essentially, the protagonist in stories of magical realism or fabulism aren't able to tell whether or not the magic they see is truly real. This is purposefully done by authors to ensure that the line between magic and reality becomes blended, which is typically the main goal of fabulism and magical realism.

The difference between magical realism and fabulism is far more complicated, however. Magical realism often focuses on political movements and colonization, merged with a hint of magic. The genre is specifically written by Latinx authors who aim to inject a political focus in their books. Although fabulist books are typically set in a similar setting styles as their magical realist cousins, they have no political focus and are not specifically written by Latinx authors. 

Citations: 

Annemieke. "Don't Call It That: Magical Realism vs Fabulism: #WyrdandWonder." A Dance With Books, 12 May 2020, adancewithbooks.wordpress.com/2020/05/10/dont-call-it-that-magical-realism-vs-fabulism-wyrdandwonder/.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9328.The_House_of_the_Spirits

"Fabulism." Wiktionary, en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fabulism.

"Contemporary Fantasy." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_fantasy.