Multidimensional view of magical realism in Russian literature

Year 2023, Issue: 37, 1343 - 1355, 21.12.2023

Ceylan Özdemir

https://doi.org/10.29000/rumelide.1406015

Abstract

The 20th century witnessed cultural and social changes of immense proportions. Magical realism appeared in literature at the beginning of the century, which is pivotal in world history. This art movement swiftly extended beyond a regional phenomenon and developed into a significant symbol of global artistic expression. The fusion of the banal facets of daily life with fictional elements engenders a world that is simultaneously recognizable and foreign, leading the reader on a voyage. This element is considered crucial to facilitate progress towards universality. Russian literature uses magical realism and integrates its distinct cultural codes and historical context to produce a unique interpretation within the field. The groundwork of Russian magical realism rests upon the intricate psychological studies of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the fantastical realism of Mikhail Bulgakov, and the absurdist storytelling of Nikolai Gogol. Magical realism has a history spanning over a century and has influenced various fields, including literature, cinema, painting, and philosophy. The contributions of Russian literature enhance the universality and profundity of this genre. Moreover, this wide reach facilitates a variety of viewpoints and understandings of magical realism to surface. This study examines the manifestation of magical realism in Russian literature along with its differing viewpoints. It also aims to explain the place of Russian magical realism in universal culture, which has yet to be clearly established in a historical context. This will be achieved by examining the origins of 19th century magical realism and its subsequent associations with various genres.

Keywords

Magical realism, Russian literature, fantastic, universal culture

References

• Bely, A. (1994). Simvolizm kak miroponimanie. Moskva: Respublika. https://traumlibrary.ru/book/beliy-simvolizm-kak-miroponimanie/beliy-simvolizm-kak-miroponimanie.html
• Berdyaev, N. (1923). Mirosozertsanie Dostoevskogo. Prag: YMCA-PRESS.
• Berdyaev, N. A. (1907). Opyty filosofskie, sotsialnye i literaturnye (1900-1906 g.). Peterburg: Izdanie M. V. Pirozhkova.
• Chuprinin, S. I. (2007). Russkaya literatura segodnya: zhizn' po ponyatiyam. Moskva: Vremya. https://lit.wikireading.ru/11599
• Favorskiy, V. A. (1986). Ob iskusstve, o knige, o gravyure. Moskva: Kniga.
• Gugnin, A. A. (1998). Magicheskiy realizm v kontekste literatury i iskusstva XX veka (Fenomen i nekotorye puti ego osmysleniya). Moskva: Nauka.
• Il'ina, L.E. (2016). Magicheskiy realizm kak otlichitelnaya osobennost' latinoamerikanskoy literatury. Presented at the conference titled “Vserossiyskaya nauchno-metodicheskaya konferentsiya”. Orenburg: Orenburgskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet, 2025-2028.
• Ilica, S. (2019). Rus Kültürünün Koruyucuları: Yeni Köylü Şairler. Uluslararası Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 12/66, 130–145.
• Khodina, E. Yu. (2023). Prozaicheskie miniatyury A. Givargizova iz knigi “Perekhod”: opyt analiza kreolizovannogo teksta. Vestnik tomskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta, 1/225, 123–131.
• Kislitsyn, K. N. (2011). Magicheskiy realizm. Znanie. Ponimanie. Umenie. Nauchnyy zhurnal moskovskogo gumanitarnogo universiteta, 1, 274–277.
• Kudryavitskiy, A. (Compiler). (2000). Zhuzhukiny deti, ili Pritcha o nedostoynom sosede (Antologiya korotkogo rasskaza. Rossiya, 2-ya polovina XX v.). Moskva: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie. https://libcat.ru/knigi/proza/sovremennaya-proza/27792-leonid-bahnov-zhuzhukiny-deti-ili-pritcha-o-nedostojnom-sosede-antologiya-korotkogo-rass.html
• Malinkina, E. V. (2023). Zhanroobrazuyushchie faktory prozaicheskoy miniatyury: esteticheskiy i eticheskiy aspekty vyrazheniya avtorskoy pozitsii. Libri Magistri, 3/25, 119– 131.
• Mostyko, N. (2019). Lingvostilisticheskie osobennosti prozaicheskoy miniatyury. Presented at the conference titled “Mezhdunarodnaya studencheskaya nauchno-prakticheskaya konferentsiya”. Klassika i sovremennost' v izyashchnoy slovesnosti XX–XXI stoletiy, Brest: Brestskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet imeni A. S. Pushkina, 222-225.
• Pankrashkin, N. S. (2020). Povest' V. V. Golyavkina ‘Moy dobryy papa’ v zhurnal'noy kritike 60-kh godov XX veka. Nauka i shkola, 6, 79-83.
• Roh, F. (1995). Magic Realism: Post-Expressionism (Translated by Wendy B. Faris). In L. Zamora & W. Faris (Ed.), Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community, Durham and London: Duke University Press, 15-31. Sharshun, S. (1932). Magicheskiy realizm. Chisla, 6, 229–231.
• Skorospelova, E. B. (2003). Russkaya proza XX veka. Moskva: TEIS.
• Struve, G. (1956). Russkaya literatura v izgnanii: opyt istoricheskogo obzora zarubezhnoy literatury. New York: Izdatel'stvo imeni Chekhova.
• Volfgang, K. (1996). Leksikon russkoy literatury XX veka. Moskva: RIK “Kultura”, 288-289.
• Zhuravlyova, A. I. (2001). Novoe mifotvorchestvo i literaturotsentristskaya epokha russkoy kultury. Vestnik kurtologii, 4, 9-11. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/a-i-zhuravlyova-novoe-mifotvorchestvo-i-literaturotsentristskaya-epoha-russkoy-kultury/viewer