Magical realism and irony's 'edge': Rereading magical realism and Kim Scott's Benang

Authors

  • Maria Takolander Deakin University

Keywords:

Magical realism, postcolonial exoticism, irony, Kim Scott

Abstract

Magical realism has been the subject of much earnest theorising, implicating the narrative mode in postcolonial projects of cultural regeneration not only in Latin America but around the world. The claim that its hybrid vision simultaneously transgresses and supplements Western ratiocinative epistemologies has seen the mode become over-determined and dismissed as a postcolonial cliche. Rarely noted, however, is the ironic nature of the literary mode. Yet the trademark representation of the magical in a realist narrative is marked by a conspicuous incongruity, which is not only necessary to magical realism's aesthetic effect but which also provides a strong incentive for ironic readings. This paper will reread magical realism through Kim Scott's Benang in order to recognise the ironic incongruity at play in magical realism and to revitalise the mode's 'edge'.

Author Biography

Maria Takolander, Deakin University

Maria Takolander is a Senior Lecturer in Literary Studies and Professional and Creative Writing at Deakin University in Geelong.

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Published

2015-02-09