The House of the Spirits | Exploring Magical Realism 

I am Greek and we also did magical realism in univesrity so --> Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements are blended into a realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper understanding of reality. These magical elements are explained like normal occurrences that are presented in a straightforward manner which allows the "real" and the "fantastic" to be accepted in the same stream of thought. -->The term "magical realism" comes from the visual arts and particularly painting. It was invented in 1925 by the German art critic Franz Roh, in his attempt to characterize the tendency of certain German Impressionist painters (Georg Grosz, Otto Dix, Max Beckmann and more,) which represent the reality with extreme precision and simultaneously with an aggressiveness and a rawness, leading to deformation. As regards literature, the term is more recent and its content somewhat different. Specifically, saying "magic realism" in literature, especially in prosaism, we mean a mixture of imaginary elements on the one hand, and realism on the other. In other words, in the prosaism works of magical realism, there are plenty of non-realistic elements, which are displayed on a realistic background. Today, however, the term "magic realism" refers mainly to the Latin-American prosaism (Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Have you read Gabriel García Marquez? I bet he will open your mind about magical realism. He's like the father of magical realism

I am from Chile and I think you get the concept but didnt choose a good example, House of Spirits is very well known but something from Gabriel Garcia Marquez would be more representative of the genre

Please try to read more Latin American writers. Try Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Magical realism as well. It also has a an a natural beautiful girl and someone who can see the future. When I started to read Allende's book I thought she was copying Garcia Marquez, there are some facts too similar. But by the end of the book I respect her so much I think is simply coincidence.

read Like Water to Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, amazing magical realism novel, one of my favourite books of all time.

Reading this type of books reminds me of hanging out with my grandparents and aunts and uncles as a child. They would talk about all these legends and superstitions and take them as fact. That's kind of how I picture narrators in magical realism. Also, leelo en español.

I'm currently reading "A hundred years of Solitude" from Gabriel Garcia Marquez and I've just realize is magical realism. So far I was thinking it was a very weird and awesome book. Now I have a name for this weirdness, thank you for that. It's a great book that also describes a whole family through generations. You should try reading it in Spanish! I bought it in english which makes absolutely no sense cause my first language is portuguese and the book is originaly writen in spanish ¬¬ I chose a translation that is not even for my own language hahaha

OMG the last scene in the video is sooooooo amazing! with the cards and the video and the shelf and the Everything!! Well done Ariel! Very well done!

Es encantador ver que una booktuber de habla inglesa se interese por la literatura latinoamericana. Tu canal es de los mejores que he visto. Besos desde Venezuela

Magical realism is such an interesting topic. Definitely one I would like to study. My favorite aspect of it is its subtlety. If it is well done, it can really add to a story, while if overdone or done badly, it can ruin an entire novel. (in my opinon at least.) I recently read The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld which contains some aspects of magical realism. Some parts of it really made the story come alive, like the first person narrator knowing everything about everyone, while other aspects were left unexplained. I can't wait so see more from this series! A lovely and thought provoking video as always! Big hugs from Sweden!

Magical Realism is so complex. I've always found it fascinating. I've only read "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel and it was so beautiful. I would love to read "The House of the Spirits" because the author wrote a wonderful short story I read for school and I've never been able to forget it. Really great discussion video!

You should read this book in spanish, it's totally different and amazing. Isabel Allende knows how to take you to everyplace she writes about. Saludos desde México.

I love magical realism novels; some of my favorites are written by Sarah Addison Allen, especially Garden Spells and First Frost. I also liked The Miniaturist. Good luck in defining magical realism, to me it is the uniqueness of a character or characters that others can't seem to understand so it becomes the quirk in the story.

I love this book and this author! Eva Luna is another great book by Allende.

Murakami is a really interesting author, I need to read more of his stuff (only read 'Hard-boiled Wonderland at the End of the World' for a Fantasy and World Lit class but really enjoyed it). Can't wait to see what you think of The Wind up Bird. :) Also, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman is a good example of magical realism, I think. Same with A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. In both cases, the magical elements are introduced when a character is in a very separate space from their typical reality (this removed house/forest, a dream), but then slowly seeps into the spaces meant to be strictly in the sphere of 'reality' until you aren't sure where reality ends and the magic begins.

I loved this video! I hear a lot of BookTubers talk about magical realism, but I was never quite sure what it was. This was very enlightening!

You're the second person who talked about this book in the last 24 hours and surprisingly I found a copy at home. So I think that's a sign from the universe and I shall read this book very soon ;) Also you need to read Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, if you haven't already. I started that book expecting nothing and I ended up in love with magical realism. It's very good.

I love the way this review was executed!

Really great discussion video/review. And also as a side note to ur side note, i think it is really powerful seeing yourself and your culture in literature. I feel like books are such an intimate way to meet and learn about, and love and explore identities. You learn to love other people and cultures and backgrounds by reading about their stories and adventures in books, and you learn to love, and learn and appreciate your own culture when you see it represented through someone else's words

I love that you read a Latin American novel! I'd love to see more reviews like this that inspire me to read more of my own culture. I'm not a fan of magical realism but we studied it a lot in school and to me it means having magical elements in an otherwise contemporary setting but this elements aren't questioned or seen as something out of the ordinary. Gabriel Garcia Marquez has some of my favorite examples.

oh sweet, I'm excited for your Wind Up Bird Chronicle review. his work is kind of intimidating. and I've never truly realized how vague thr definition of magical realism is.

The House of Spirits is an awesome book. That's so cool that you can take a class about Magical Realism. Even more awesome that you get to pick the books.

Thank you for choosing this book as an example. "One hundred years of solitude" receives more credit due to the politics behind García Márquez, but his style is more unpleasant, and it is a nightmare trying to understand or feel empathy towards the characters in the Buendía saga, which contains archetypes rather than fully complex persons, such as Esteban Trueba, for example.

You should read The Strange And Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, that's what magical surrealism is for me. The bits and pieces of something weird mixed in our life. Like there's a girl who's born with wings or her mother who can smell all different kinds of emotions. It's a beautiful and intriguing story.

When i was a kid this book was shelved in my aunts book corner. The south american people who visited her complimented her on possesing the book. It is a latin american classic.

Some of my favourite magical realisms are Bone Gap, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and The Drowning of Arthur Braxton, highly recommend them all!

I just watched an episode of Jane the Virgin (an excellent show btw) where Jane talks about the House of the Spirits! I read an excellent book last fall called Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. It's one of my mom's favorite books so I gave it a try. It takes place in Mexico in the early 1900s I believe. Very good and different than many books I've read.

I read this for a Contemporary International Fiction course in college and loved it!!! One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is another one that I read for that course and loved as well. It is yet another example of magical realism. But forewarning if you haven't read it, the names get very confusing.

Oh, my favorite genre! I'd suggest, apart from One hundred years of solitude, Like water for chocolate, by Laura Esquivel. Also a latin american. I think you'll get exactly the point: in magical realism, the magical things that happen amidst our well known world are taken by the caracters as a normal event. Well, just keep reading and you'll make your own conclusions. =) We should all read more authors of different cultures than ours, it's so enriching, and could avoid so much prejudice and misconception.

100 Years of Solitude for you my friend :) or anything by Julio Cortázar.

Ariel please make more writing videos! IM ADDICTED

It's so great that you are getting into Magical Realism! I'm looking forward to your videos about it. Since literary Magical Realism originated in latin america, I think it's important to show some of those books too, even if it has become international. So thanks so much for that! If you are looking for other books I'd recommend Julio Cortazar's short stories, most are very heavy on the magical realism!

YASSS CHILE! I'm chiliean :D LOL I LOVE magical realism, specially in movies (like The Lovely Bones, or Birdman), and I really like Gabriel Garcia Marquez :D I loved the video!!! Ya quiero ver mas videos sobre este tema!! ME ENCANTA!! BYE! ADIOS! Sigue así

I love Murakami and his touch of magical realism, can't wait to hear your thoughts!!

one excellent example of magical realism is "100 años de soledad" by the Novel Prize Gabriel García Marquez. The writing is amazing and so much happens in this novel. I hope you'll have the opportunity to read it. I'll be looking forward to watching you're review on it. You're videos are awesome, by the way. I find you're comments really interesting. Thanks for speaking your mind and sharing you're learning process. Regards.

I've only recently gotten into Magical Realism and I'm so glad I did, I'm loving it so far!

Love the review! But yes, Estaban was so evil! The author kept me hooked with his character, but gosh, I hated him. I'd actually love to watch your 22 minute review on how awful he was. Anyway, thanks for breaking down Magical Realism.

I read this for school when I was 15-16 and I got dizzy with so many stories and characters. That's pretty much all I remember, it was a long time ago. I'm from Chile so it was interesting to read a novel set in the history of my own country, at that age. I don't read a lot of latinamerican authors, and haven't done it for a very long time, but I can understand what is like to feel like you did when you read this book and your heritage. I mean, I loved the first few chapters and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe because I could feel the family bond a mexican mom has with her son, latin families are different than european families, for example, and that certain type of warmth was felt in the pages and in short, I loved that book.

The master of magical realism is Julio Cortázar -which is also of my favourite authors. I don't know how they're translated into English but he has a bunch of books of shorts stories that will let you astonished. He is a genius! It's incredible how Cortázar can write a story in just 2 or 5 pages but I am awared that he is not for everyone!

This review reminded me of the book "Master of the Game" by Sidney Sheldon where you get to know a feud which brought down generation after generation in which you get so attached with the characters. And yes, magical realism is up to an individual's perspective sees it.

I'm so excited about this series! Yey!

Great video!! I studied La casa de los espíritus and magical realism at high school and I have also read other magical realism books. For me, magical realism is when you can find in the story some mystical or supernatural elements that are accepted in the story as natural or normal, but aside from that, the whole story has a realistic setting. I think that this discussion is really interesting because, as you have said, "magical realism" is a genre that hasn't a clear definition. I also wanted to add that you may find some differences in the Latin American magical realism from Isabel Allende or Gabriel García Márquez and the magical realism used by Murakami, which is also very interesting to read, so I hope you enjoy it. I hope I have explained myself properly, as English is not my mother tongue. Lots of love form Spain!!

I think The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a great example of magical realism (also, it's a fantastic novel). When I heard the term "magical realism" for the first time, not knowing what it meant at the time, I instantly thought of that novel and then I found out that is exactly its category ;)

Magic realism "...refers to literature in particular that portrays magical or unreal elements as a natural part in an otherwise realistic or mundane environment." Wikipedia

Love videos like this - so excited that it's going to be a series :) I'm currently reading The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (which I'd definitely recommend) so it's perfect timing!

For me (someone who loves magical realism:D) magical realism is basically strange, surreal things happening in a normal, real, setting. So a dog being as big as a horse, hearing voices from the dead, plants that never die, etc... it's not magic in a Harry Potter style of Magic, but it's more like magic where you want to see it. I just love it and it makes me feel that maybe we're a little bit magic too :)

I was always taught that magical realism was fantastical elements happening in a mundane setting. I think Aimee Bender writes it the best. But I certainly want to check this book out!!!

This was aaawesome and I really hope you're planning on making videos about the rest of your magical realism reading journey because I would love to hear your thoughts on them!! Especially since 1) I hella trust your opinion and 2) I really want to read more magical realism and these vids will really help finding more to read:-)

not sure if this is correct, but I learn in school (I am from chile) that magical realism was "a fantastic world that seems completely real until it comes to a point where there is a rupture in reality and then the fantasy elements enter the story". So basically is a fantasy world that tricks you into thinking that is real but has fantasy elements and they both sides work hand on hand until a point where the edges blend, the movie Encanto can be considered magical realism, and of course Gabriel Garcia Marquez is the biggest authority on the genre.

love your bit at the end about seeing yourself in the book because that's why it's so important to read books by Latin American authors to me. just getting to have that moment of oh you get me!

Awesome video Ariel :) Have you read or thought of reading Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel? It's mexican magical realism that incorporates recipes and also follows the life of a family (although just one generation). I would be really interested in hearing your thoughts. Plus it's not too long :) xx

excited to hear your thoughts on murakami! wind up bird chronicle was my first murakami book and it got me really interested in magical realism

I really enjoyed this review :D I absolutely love magical realism. I'm currently reading a beautiful magical realism book called The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto- totally recommend (especially if you're someone who loves music ).

This is such an awesome video. For CampNaNoWriMo this year I am planning on writing a magical realism book so I did a bit of research last month and found out, much the same as you did, that everyone seems to have a different definition! Really looking forward to hearing more from you about magical realism, it's a great genre which I have not explored enough of :)

I felt like this was one of the more incisive discussion vids on your channel and I wanna say you're really good at the deeptalk. I like your idea, toward the end, of magical realism's subjectivity. I'm also 100% aboard with you on the softcore guilt about being Hispanic, raised in the States, and having done so little reading of books that take place more than, like, a block from my house. Also, yeah, since the magic in this book is the everyday magic of psychics and such, things that lotsa people do believe in, I guess there's a large audience that would nix the adjective and just call it "realism." That thought'd never crossed my mind, so thanks for the idea. Something to think about.

Magical Realism started with Arabian Nights which is the best representation of this genre. Gunter Grass, Marquez and Allende rediscovered it in our modern era. Magical realism novels are the most interesting, but not to everyone.

This book sounds awesome. I just called my local bookstore immediately and ordered a copy.

In my experience, magical realism has always to do with weird/incoherent/bizarre things happening inside a story that, otherwise, without those elements, would be a family story or a historical novel or something else. But I have no idea if that's what it's supposed to be or not, lol. It's just what I've felt and gotten from the magical realism books I've read (which include The House Of The Spirits, the incredibly famous 100 Years Of Solitude and several of Haruki Murakami's books, including The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle). I'm not a big fan of magical realism and, in my experience, it never really has anything to do with magic as I tend to think of it (as in Harry Potter or Gandalf and other wizard-related magic, like medieval magic), but, like I said, with a lot of weird/nonsensical/incoherent/bizarre/out-of-place things happening in an otherwise normal story. :S And that usually bores me and annoys me to death, so I don't enjoy those books very much, as heretic as that may seem (specially when it comes to The House Of The Spirits AND 100 Years Of Solitude). ^^U The House Of The Spirits was the first Isabel Allende book I read (since it's so incredibly famous and all) and I must say I didn't like it. I've read almost everything she's written (because she's Chilean and I'm Chilean and it felt like a huge lack of culture on my part not to read one of the most successful and famous Chilean writers nowadays), but I've liked like... TWO of her books and that's it. :P Of course, that doesn't ONLY have to do with some of them being magical realism, but it adds to other things I dislike. :P I would have liked to watch the 22 minutes long review of this book! Or of any other, really. I enjoy long videos. ;) Also, ¡es genial saber que sabes español! :D

Ok honestly I never heard of magical realism and have read other comments but what I can get from this and comments is that it is a short hand explanation. Rather then explain with science, it is just magic and how magical it is to live with beauty or with some nice things. idk though so I might be wrong.

I've never read this book, but my mom loves it, she usually urges me to read it.

I really loved this review. I rarely see latin american literature discussed here on booktube and it was like a breath of fresh air. Thank you for that! Also, are you planning on reading Gabriel García Márquez? from what I learned in school he is one of the mayor authors of the genre

your videos keep getting better i love it keep it up

When I was writing about Magical Realism for school, I defined it as fiction which contains magical and fantastic elements without portraying them as fantastic but rather as accepted parts of everyday life.

I'm definitely no expert on magical realism, but other than Garcia Marquez, who's probably the most known (which sounds quite similar in themes and plot to The House of the Spirits), I've read Vargas Llosa's Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, which was very different to the concept of magical realism that I thought I knew. It was very very funny and it had less of that all-encompassing grandiose intention of representing the history of a country at the same time as you're reading about a specific family/village. An author with hugely influenced by magical realism is Louis de Bernieres. He's a British author who's written many magical realist novels set in South America. I can't give you a judgement on those, but his most known work is Captain Corelli's Mandolin and that is set in an island of Greece. I really loved it and it was incredibly interesting from both a historical and narrative point of view.

This was so helpful! I'm doing a self-directed assignment about immersing yourself in another culture through reading. I chose Latin America and The House of the Spirits!!! New subscriber!

I haven't really read much magical realism but there is one book that really struck me as falling under that. It's called Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. It was a really great book! You should check it out.

Are you planning on reading the rest of the series? There are two more books which happen before the house of the spririts and they are also magical realism

I think in latin american literature is very normal to have a lot of generations of families in books, I think it's a very cultural thing. It's like to understand everything that happens you have to understand this millions of other things first. It's so beautiful and I think to fully understand magical realism you should read 100 Days of Solitude because it has more of a balance between the real and the magic. But Eva Luna by Isabel Allende is wonderful as well. I think the best way to describe it is with surrealism paintings, like you have all the real elements but out of their zone and looked from different angles they can mean different things, like the ships in the sky or clocks melting.

..Can you upload the 22 min video? That would be super interesting :)

Hi Ariel! I loved this video, and I love they your videos always take an unexpected turn (kind of like a plan twist). I wanted to recommend -'El Eternauta' by Osterheld and Lopez (a graphic novel/comic) -"Boquitas Pintadas" (Heartbreak Tango) and "La traición de Rita Hayworth" (Betrayed by Rita Hayworth) by Puig - "Rayuela" (Hopscotch) by Cortazar There are so many 'latino' books so unknown and I'm so glad you decided to go on this beautiful liteary journey. You're one of my biggest inspirations, so keep on doing what you're doing ♥

Hi! I had to study this book and magical realism last year, in my senior year. It was amazing. It is very similar to A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. Have you noticed the thing going on with girls' names? Clara, Nívea, Blanca... ;) Great video!!

Loving how to the point and analytical your videos are 🙌🏽👏🏽💫🎉💐

I read a really nice defection for magical realism that seems pretty precise: How the regular world or elements of it react to a magical element not previously introduced. Great examples of books are any murakami novel, the strange and beautiful sorrows of Ava lavender and the age of miracles by Karen Thompson walker :) Can't wait to hear what you think about the wind up bird chronicle!

YAY YAY YAY MAGICAL REALSIM! Really excited to hear your thoughts on this, as I have yet to pin down a friend who has ventured into this genre!

For part of my creative writing course we did briefly looked at magic realism with 'Chronicle of a Death Foretold' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It's also set in South America & even though people call it magic realism, I couldn't help but think it's more to do with the culture of SA differing from typical Western culture. Nice to know your views on the whole area!

This is the definition that first popped up when I googled it: Magical realism is a fiction genre in which magical elements blend to create a realistic atmosphere that accesses a deeper understanding of reality. I think oh so many books can fit into this category if this definition is an accurate one, wouldn't you agree? I surely have many books on my shelves that fit this description. As Crazface said in the comments The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivy is definitely a good example, as is Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit which many book tubers are reading this year. You have now piqued my interest on this topic and I am going to peruse my book shelves and see how many books I have that can fit the description of magical realism. Good video.

I feel many people have said it before here, but you should really check out more Latin American Authors. The magical realism movement is huge and it has marked profoundly our literary culture. My favorites are 100 years of Solitude and most recently The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which is a more modern take on the classical magical realism. There is also a literary movement that goes entirely against magical realism, they call it MacOndo, it is all about urban life in Latin America. Anyways, great video!

100 Years Of Solitude is the epitome of Magical Realism. If you haven't read it, you'll see that it will be confusing, but it's gorgeous. Or the tales of Juan Rulfo (although I'm not sure if those are translated).

Need to add this book in my list

Hi Ariel! If you are looking to get into magical realism, I HIGHLY recommend 100 years of solitude by Gabriel García Marquez. It has such a unique and beautiful writing style, story, and characters. You will love it!

The house of the spirits was the first book that I read from Isabel Allende. I agree with you about the plot, too many things happening, also about magical realism is elusive, its a good word to define it. I think the end of the book is just realism, hard realism. Dictatorship is a big deal to history of Chile. I truly like you to talk about this kind of books, I literally died when you spoke in spanish, really nice! Regards from Chile! Pd: Quiza debi escribir en español, lo entenderias de todos modos.

An educational goldmine! If you dig this, a related book is a must-have. "Twilight Descent" by Olivia Whitestone

Great video! Consider the definition coined by Anglophone Caribbean and Latin Caribbean writers called, The Marvelous Real. The writings on this term dovetail nicely with your observations.

What other books are you planning to read during your study? Other people have already recommended him, but you should definitely read some Marquez. Also, a good young adult magical realism book was The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. I don't read much young adult anymore, but I really enjoyed that one.

I think you should read "Paula" also by Isabel Allende because the parallels between these two novels are very very interesting. It let's you know how much of "the house of the spirits" is really magical realism and how much is pretty much a biography of her family. Or if you are feeling powerful "One hundred years of solitude" is like this the house of the spirits x5. Yes for Latinoamerican authors and yes for magic!

God i wish i could see the long version of this video. I hated the hell out of Esteban too. This story broke my heart in so many pieces, then stepped on them with big combat boots, while saying: nia nia nia-niaaa. There's this awesome magic realism writer in my country (Romania), called Mircea Eliade. If you can find his books you must read them, especially these short novels: "Miss Christina" and "At the gypsies". There s also a movie called "youth without youth" dirrected by Francis Ford Coppola which is an adaptation of one of his books. Check it out. The guy was a genius of magical realism.

One of my all time favorite books

Hey Ariel, I was wondering why you didn't read this book in the original Spanish? I'm studying Spanish at uni, and just did the magical realism module with this novel, and absolutely loved it. I also find that so much of the culture is in the language, so maybe it would have been more interesting, for you, to read it in the original? Great video regardless!

I think that this is one of this videos where I realise that the background of a reader shapes the vision and opinion you have about a book

Awesome video!! You should explore water like chocolate by Laura Esquivel, she explores magical realism through Mexican traditional food...the book is crazy, but the magical realism aspect is very strong.

I'm from Spain and I had to read this book for high school this term. And I love it. Although at the beginning it was quite dens, it just got better and better. By the way, you should read 100 years of solitude (and it's mot the same, even if some people claim that Allende's book is the same. I mean they don't even belong to the same "wave" of magical realism)

Loved this video! It was so interesting! You're so articulate, Ariel!! When you started talking about how the book followed multiple generations in a family, I immediately thought of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. It's an excellent read :-)

I didn't find it much entertaining while we were reading it at school(I'm Argentinian), but it is a GREAT book to study with a teacher who knows her history. Also, you should REALLY, REALLY try One hundred years of solitude, it's insane. It's the entire history of Latin America and more in a book. Just genius. (It really helps to read essays on Google Scholar)

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is amazing, but is it going to be your first Murakami book? If so, it's not a good way to start with the author given its size and complexity.

You should give 100 years of solitude a try, it's way better than the house of spirits. That novel is just PERFECT!

Me encanta el realismo mágico, y me encantó verte a ti hablando sobre ese genero. Soy Chilena y es super fuerte como ese libro sirve como testimonio de una época. Btw fangirlie con tu español.

I read that book when I was in nineth grade in school, and I did find the book really interesting, even though I didn't love it. We also talked about magical realism for quite a while, reading García Marquez and some other books I don't really remember. I can't say I have a real or concrete definition for it, but in my opinion you're actually not that far off: it's supposed to be little magical events happening in daily, real life. Like an orange with a diamond inside or really any magic that can be eased into our lives.

I haven't read many magical realism books, but last year I read The Enchanted and wow. That novel is AMAZING. Definitely want to try Murakami of course. Let us know your thoughts on his works!

My favorite magical realism novel is "el mejor lugar del mundo es aquí mismo" by francesc miralles and care santos. I'm not sure if it was translated into English but if it was its name would probably be "the bet place in the world is right here" 😊

oooh! can't wait for Murakami's review :D it's my favorite contemporary autor!! n.n