Like Water for Chocolate

     Like Water for Chocolate was the first magical realism novel I have ever read. After reading authors such as Cortazar (my favorite), Borges, and Marquez, I was very interested in comparing a new author and a new style of magical realism. The author was very different in her technique and was very clever in using food as a form of magical realism. Therefore, I do not think she can be compared to any of the previously mentioned authors. I found the novel to be a very easy to read and easy to see the magical realism. I especially enjoyed the recipes at the beginning of the chapter because they set the mood and gave direction for where the author was about to go.  I did not, however, agree with the author’s idea that holding to tradition and reserve was boring and wrong. I did respect the passion and love that was portrayed between Tita and Pedro and the representation of the Mexican spirit and way of life. As a brother and husband, I could never condone the idea of cheating on a spouse nor betraying a sibling. As a father, I can condone the idea of never letting my daughter be oppressed by any person or unfair tradition. Although the book was a little strange at parts, it was a good example of magical realism and a fairly good book if the purpose of the strange occurrences were clear. Magical realism should never be read literally and is very interesting once you get the suggestions behind it.

Borges Reader Response

Reader response to Borges

     The first story I read by Borges was called, “The Garden of Forking Paths”. This story was a little long but met my requirements for good magical realism. The story was easy to follow, the magical realism was clear, and I did not have to wait for class to understand most of the points.  The way Borges explained time was extremely interesting. He used the idea that time splits at different points but continues in parallel universes.  I was reminded of Cortazar when the ending brought a wild twist. The idea that it was acceptable to kill a man because in a different reality it did not happen was a really unique idea. Also, I learned in class that Borges used the concept of ignorance always beating intelligence. This concept was obvious when the cowardly man killed the genius, which turned out to be a worthless gesture. I enjoyed the whole story and was very impressed with this first impression.

    The next story by Borges was called “The Gospel According to Mark”. The story was very appealing to me because I am a Christian who has read the book of Mark in its entirety. In class, I learned Borges was saying that there needs to be both Christianity and science in society. The reason they must both exist is if there has to be a choice Christianity will always win. I found this story interesting because he really touched on some sensitive issues in Christianity. Again, the story possessed a very unique twist at the end, which showed the magical realism clearly. I am always impressed when I can see the Magical realism on my own without the aid of class notes.

      The last story I read by Borges was called “Emma Zunz”. This story made the score three for three in my opinion of Borges. The story was a little drawn out with details; however, the details in the story made the plot twist at the end come together. I had to read the story a few times but I finally grasped the Idea Borges was portraying. Again, Borges used the power of imagination to justify the killing of a man. This story was one of my favorites so far. The ending came out of nowhere and fit together perfectly with all the details I had to pay attention to.  Borges’ stories fit into my definition of a good read. He was able to keep my interest through the story with key details and then blow my mind with a plot twist at the end .

Marquez reader response

 

The first Marquez story I read was called “The Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”. After reading Cortazar, I was excited to read magical realism from another author.  The stories by Cortazar were both exciting and full of wild twists that were clear and unmistakable. However, this story did not impress me.  I was lost by the end of the story. I could not find the metaphor on my own and had to wait till class to learn the metaphor. I found out that the metaphor was that people’s expectation of the divine causes them to disown anything that does not match that description. As a Christian, I can relate to how judgmental some people in my own religion can be towards those who do not look and dress to their standards. The story was easy to read, but I failed to find the magical realism. I would have preferred the obvious magic that Cortazar used in his stories.  

The second story I read was called “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World”. This story was written as a criticism of playboy magazine, which I learned in class. After finding that out, I was very impressed by how the author set up the story. The ideas of comparing yourself to something unattainable and living in a fantasy that changes nothing in the real world are portrayed perfectly in this story. I also felt like the story could be related to other means of fantasy such as movies and even books. The story was very humorous and was even funnier after finding the metaphor. I would even recommend this story to others so that they too could see the humorous nature. It is perfectly relevant to our society today because people are always trying to attain perfection in an imperfect world. I have never read stories by this author but I am very impressed after only reading these two.

Cortazar

     
      The first time I read magical realism was when I completed the Continuity of Parks by Cortazar. At first, I had trouble understanding what magical realism was exactly. I assumed it would be similar to fantasy or science fiction. I, however, was wrong. The story had a way of reeling you in and then shocking you with a wild plot twist. I may have had doubts at first but magical realism is a wonderful writing style that makes me think and wonder. I am glad that the Continuity of Parks was the first story I read in that form and it is a prime example.
  
      The next story I read was Our Demeanor at Wakes. This story did not excite me as much as the Continuity of parks. It was very drawn out, and you had to search for the magic in the story. After class discussion, I was a Littlemore comprehensive of the story but I still would probably not read it again. I preferred the more noticeable and shocking twist that was present in the previous story.
 
     Finally, I read the Axolotl story. Although it too was drawn out, I found it very interesting. I felt like something wild was about to happen and kept anticipating it. The story did posses a wild plot twist which validated my anticipation. The twist left me stunned and confused (only for a moment), which makes for an excellent reading. It amazed me how Cortazar can draw you in and twist your mind in whatever way he wants. I was happy that this was another shocker from Cortazar.

Popol Vuh

The Popol Vuh was the story of the Mayan creation. I was very excited to read how this culture believed it began. I am a Christian myself, so it was very interesting and relatable to view a different take on the creation story. While reading it i felt it closely resembled the Bible's version in many ways. However, I learned in class that this similarity was due to the translating done by a christian priest. I  was not converted to the Mayan religion but I was intrigued by the story in many ways.The story had excitement, fighting between gods,and even mistakes made by the gods that made me, as a reader, want to continue reading the story. After reading the Popol Vuh, I was actually sad that all the Mayan books were destroyed and that reading more Mayan stories was not an option. However, It was nice to at least read the story behind the origins of this ancient culture.