Table Of ContentMagical Realism and Deleuze
Continuum Literary Studies Series
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Magical Realism and Deleuze
The Indiscernibility of Difference
in Postcolonial Literature
Eva Aldea
Continuum Literary Studies
Continuum International Publishing Group
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11 York Road Suite 704
London, SE1 7NX New York, NY 10038
www.continuumbooks.com
© Eva Aldea, 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission
in writing from the publishers.
Eva Aldea has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988,
to be identifi ed as Author of this work.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-4411-0998-9 (hardcover)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Aldea, Eva.
Magical realism and Deleuze : the indiscernibility of difference in postcolonial
literature / Eva Aldea.
p. cm. -- (Continuum literary studies)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-4411-0998-9 (hardcover)
1. Magic realism (Literature) 2. Fiction--20th century--History and criticism.
3. Commonwealth fi ction (English)--History and criticism. 4. Postcolonialism
in literature. 5. Deleuze, Gilles, 1925–1995--Criticism and interpretation.
6. Deleuze, Gilles, 1925-1995--Knowledge--Literature. 7. Literature--Philosophy.
I. Title. II. Series.
PN56.M24A63 2011
809'.915--dc22
2010015193
Typeset by Newgen Imaging Systems Pvt Ltd, Chennai, India
Printed and bound in Great Britain by the MPG Books Group
For Marcus
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Contents
Preface ix
List of Abbreviations x
Chapter 1 Introduction: Magical Realism 1
Chapter 2 Gilles Deleuze and Magical Realism 19
Chapter 3 Models of Magical Realism 41
Chapter 4 Magical Realism and the Signs of Art 73
Chapter 5 Deleuze and the Postcolonial Politics of Magical Realism 103
Chapter 6 Conclusion 146
Notes 150
Bibliography 163
Index 181
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Preface
Since being introduced to magical realism through the short stories of Julio
Cortázar, many years ago, I have always wanted to know why magical realism has
been so fascinating and tantalizing a genre for me and so many other readers.
What exactly is it that makes the appearance of the unusual, strange and super-
natural so alluring when it is described in that deadpan, matter-of-fact voice we
have all become so familiar with since the Latin American literary boom reached
the Anglo-Saxon readership in the 70s? I never found a thoroughly satisfactory
answer. Any defi nitions and descriptions of the genre seemed to me never quite
to get to the bottom of how the interaction between the real and the magic in
magical realist novels and stories actually functions. I mean ‘functions’ in the
way a car or train functions – I wanted to know what drives the fantastic yet
thoroughly familiar engine of magical realism.
There was nothing for it but to investigate the matter myself. Having
come across the idea of the machinic assemblage in Gilles Deleuze and Félix
Guattari’s work, an early project looking at Cortázar’s stories as such little
literary machines yielded some results. It also pointed to the fact that Deleuze
could provide the thoroughly different approach to magical realism that I was
looking for, partly as a philosopher that could take me back to basics – What is
the real? What is the magic? – partly because of his insistence that the all that is
is in the same way, yet is different. This challenge to hierarchies of being seemed
to me to chime true with the main motion of the magical realist machine.
This book is the fi nal result of a long process of research but also of thought,
the importance of which my guide throughout would never let me forget. I am
very grateful to Andrew Gibson for his long and continued support for, belief
in and acute criticism of my work. I would also like to thank my parents for their
never failing belief in the ultimate fruition of my work, and my friends and
colleagues for their input, patience and support. Finally, a special thank you to
Marcus Cheadle, without whom this book would never have been written.
