Conceptual Dimensions of German Magical Realism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/pytlit2023.108.112Keywords:
magical realism, double conditioning, ruderal space, liminality, transgression, topos, oscillation, numinousAbstract
The article outlines the vectors of methodological research of magical realism and identifies the differential features of this literary phenomenon in the theoretical discourse of German literary criticism. The author of the article focuses on the ambivalence of German magical realism, caused by the combination in magical realist texts of two inherently opposite ways of depicting reality – realistic and irreal. In magical realist texts, the magical appeal of reality is emphasized, when the objects of reality only hint at the existence of another world beyond it, acquiring a numinous aureole in the aesthetic focus of realism. The specificity of magical realism lies in its heterogeneity, and therefore requires the appropriate selection of methodological tools that would open the way to the world of magical realist texts, which in many cases has a multi-level structure with polysemantic content. Special attention within the context of the conceptualization of magical realism is paid to the semiotic model of “double conditioning” by A. Koschorke and the concept of “ruderal space” by B. Schaefer. In conclusion, the author emphasizes that magical realism demonstrates the synergistic effect of the emergence of a certain new artistic space with hidden deep meanings and elliptical structures that form the semantic polyphony of the text with a variable multiplicity of meanings. Through liminality and transgression, the semantic potential of the magical is activated, aimed at overcoming the boundary between the immanent and transcendent worlds.
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