The history, theory and evolution of magical realismWhat comes to mind when you hear the word "magical"? He or she probably thinks of spells, enchantments, wizards and disappearing doves. The term "Realism" can represent the everyday world, the one we are already familiar with. Could these two words ever be paired together to represent an idea? Magical Realism represents the marriage of these two words. Name originally given to a new art form in the early 20th century, Magical Realism has evolved into a literary genre and now represents much more: an attitude, the window through which to view the world, a philosophy of life . By examining the history, theory and evolution of Magical Realism, this seemingly oxymoron term will make sense. Most critics believe that the term Magical Realism originated in the early 20th century as a new art form. Franz Roh, who we credit with coining the term, describes this "new" art form in his 1925 article "Magical Realism: Post-Expressionism." Roh defines Magical Realism through a chronological examination of the artistic styles that precede this "new art". The two periods he mainly focuses on are Impressionism and Expressionism. Impressionism, which preceded expressionism, focused on artists' desire to portray something that existed in reality. An artist can examine the texture, light, or shapes of an object. The depiction was simply a caricature of reality, without any significant meaning or stimulus beyond the obvious realistic qualities that viewers were already familiar with. Expressionism, in contrast, sought to portray something with a very deep meaning, refusing to portray reality because it was too banal and familiar. Intellect...... middle of paper...... Works Cited Chanady, Amaryll. "The territorialization of the imagination in Latin America: self-affirmation and resistance to metropolitan paradigms." Magical realism: theory, history, community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, NC: Duke UP, 1995: 125-144.Flores, Angel. "Magical Realism in Hispanic American Fiction." Magical realism: theory, history, community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris.Durham, NC: Duke UP, 1995: 109-117.Leal, Luis. "Magical Realism in Spanish American Literature." Magical realism: theory, history, community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris.Durham, NC: Duke UP, 1995: 119-124.Roh, Franz. "Magical Realism: Post-Expressionism." Magical realism: theory, history, community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris.Durham, NC: Duke UP,1995: 15-31.