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Magic Realism In Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone

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Magic Realism in Harry Potter Books The story about wizard with a scar of mysterious origin, growing up in a normal world and not knowing about the existence of magic or his real nature catched the attention of many. The Harry Potter series written by the British author J.K.Rowling mostly fall under the genre of fantasy. On the other hand, the Harry Potter story contains features of magic realism as well. What is the difference between the fantasy and magic realism? How is a magic realism reflected in the story? This paper outlines the definition and comparison of the two genres and illustrates the presence of the magic realism in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Fantasy vs Magic Realism "There are many attempts to define fantasy, …show more content…

(BISWAS, 2014, p.296)
The third feature is concerned with the view of reality. Protagonist lives in two worlds; where one is completely normal and the other one is filled with magic. Despite this, both worlds are natural and "real", both for the protagonist and the reader. When speaking about magic realism, characters in the narratives are also specific: "The characters in magic realism disrupt our conventional world of cause and effect. [...] Creatures take on human characteristics and humans are reminiscent of animals. Hagrid is reminiscent of a kind grizzly bear; Professor McGonagall is the kindred spirit of a cat." (p.71)
Another example of magic realism in the story of Harry Potter is the perception of time. The school starts on September, the seasons are the same, time goes on in a sequence of our real time. The characters celebrate Christmas, Halloween and other celebrations typical for reality. (BISWAS, 2014, p.297) The last typical feature of magic realism is a usage of history, myths and cultural customs (celebrations). The author of the story has included political institutions and functions such as ministry of magic, ministers, officers, heads of departments etc. (KAMALAKKANNAN, 2006,

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