Magic realism in the imagery of the author of Buthsarana

Abstract

Magic realism which transcends realistic depiction in a text by attributing a dimension of magic can be considered a part of Surrealism and a byproduct of Post Modernism. First introduced by the German art critic Franz Roh in 1925, magic realism is recognized as a progressed concept of Surrealism. The narrative style of realistic fiction corresponds with realism but it is the nature of magic realism to transportthe reader into a miraculous world beyond realism.Despite the fantasy apparent on the surface, a key objective of the fiction is to reveal historical and political reality. Form in magic realism extends to the creation of new bonds between the realistic and the unrealistic, as well as trust and mistrust.Elements of the magical and ordinary are linked, making it impossible to define where reality ends and the magical begins. These elements take lives of their own in a way that is ordinary to the characters in the story.It is recognized that in 20th century magic realism was born in the west and raised by Latin American writers. However critics believe that literary works similar to the fictional style of magic realism is seen in Asian, African and Latin American literature. The research seeks to explore whether the scope of magic realism is relevant to the enhancement of devotion among the Buddhist community. In particular, in the study of rhetoric and style, characteristics of magic realism could be observed.This research aims to explore the use of rhetoric by the author of Buthsarana by studying ‘Dhamana Katha’.Mainlylinguistic effects used to symbolizeevents by the author will be discussed.Literary expressions of Lord Buddha’s extraordinary powers in terms of enforcing discipline on evil spirita (Alawaka) wild animals (Nalagiri) and the psychologically challenged (Angulimala) will be discussed from a magic realism perspective.The author of Buthsarana uses similarities-metaphors as well as symbolism, exaggeration, and rhetoric extensively. For recreation of socio-political phenomena, magic realism fulfilled the need for a new narrative style. However it has to be noted that the proseis limited to the aim of enhancing devotion to Buddhism.