Literature

Magic realism is a prognosis of the unexpected, usually within a setting which is sternly realistic and predictable. It has also been projected as the altered reality in that the characteristic elements of reality are interspersed with miraculous occurrences outweighing the actual flow of the events and sometimes, albeit very rarely, changing the anticipated course of the events (Concilio 18). In the light of this definition, this essay is going to document the elements of magic realism in Juan Rulfos seminal work titled Pedro Pramo.
The literary genre of magic realism was popularized in Latin America following the publication of Pedro Pramo (Pelayo 20). Both spatial as well as temporal shifts have been made in the novel to accommodate for mythical components derived from the times gone by (Concilio 19). Comala, the native land of the protagonist of the novel, is a projection of the past into a world of reality which is quintessentially dissociated from the present. Rulfo resorts to a disjunct narrative technique to achieve his objective. Such narratives unfold multi-linear progressions of time in the presence of a single narrator whose very existence is purposefully disposed of the context (Zamora and Faris 306). This is manifested in Pedro Pramo when Juan Preciado undertakes a journey to Comala after his mothers demise. The narrative from this point onwards becomes split and thus the readers anticipation receives a setback. Just when the readers begin to expect the course of the plot after they are introduced to an unnamed narrator apparently in the beginning of a winding journey in search of his fathers homeland, they have to wait till the end to know the real identity of the narrator (DLugo 73). This marks a notable feature of the school of magic realism. The frames of reference, as viewed and understood by the readers, are in gross desynchronization with the time in which they are placed. So from the viewpoint of the readers, the exposition of the narrators journey can never be fully realized till it is over. At the same time, the journey itself is compounded with apparently unrelated occurrences that render a mystic charm to the final destination, both figuratively as well as realistically.

Smith critiques Pedro Pramo stating that its simplistic characterization augments the subliminal threads of storytelling. The attainment of surrealistic virtues amidst a drab setting calls for supreme mastery of authorship, which abounds in Pedro Pramo. Moreover, the absurdist elements incorporated in the novel embody the root of Hispanic literature per se (552). However, Faris argues that Pedro Pramo transcends its surrealistic genre and accomplishes an animistic level of discourse once the narrator comes to Comala (84). This land of the dead creates a hallucinatory effect upon his senses, making him oblivious to the task he is supposed to perform. At the same time, he is mentally so worn out that his physical movements become increasingly otiose. Now as far as the illustration of magic realism is concerned, it may be noted that death and magic were both integral to primitive community practices involving the revelation of the dark aesthetics of myths. The authenticity of Juan Rulfo lies in his intellectual rendition of those myths which could easily have been sentimentalized by a less adept writer.

In essence, Pedro Pramo is a hallmark literary creation of the twentieth century in many respects. It is undoubtedly the predecessor to Mexican supra-lingual literature that evolved in the latter half of the twentieth century. While One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garca Mrquez can be extolled as the most representative work of magic realism in contemporary world literature, Pedro Pramo certainly presents itself as a close contender to the former work.