Magical realism is a genre of fiction that introduces fantastical elements into a realistic world. What sets magical realism apart from other speculative genres like science fiction and fantasy is that magical realism grounds its fantastical elements in the real world. Characters never question fantastical elements or seek logical explanations for them, but accept them as given realities in the world they inhabit, to elicit deeper emotional or symbolic truth from the juxtaposition of those elements. Magical realism is often associated with Third World literature because of the way its uncanny elements reflect the socioeconomic alienation resulting from colonialism and globalization. Popularly seen as the forefather of magical realism, García Márquez uses the genre to explore and offer critiques of Colombia’s postcolonial society.

Throughout his life, García Márquez traced his signature style to the traditions of modernist writing. He frequently cited American author William Faulkner as a major influence on his work, drawing not only from his techniques, but also his themes, in particular the experience of solitude. Faulkner’s writing used many dynamic techniques that challenged readers to prioritize the subjective consciousness of his characters over their objective experience. One example is the use of fragmented chronology. Faulkner frequently jumped between past and present events in stories like “A Rose for Emily” to establish the persistence of historical conditions on the present moment. In addition, Faulkner used multiple narrative perspectives to neutralize the authority of a singular narrator or point of view. His novel The Sound and the Fury is famous for featuring three stream-of-consciousness monologues, underscoring the need to appreciate each character’s experience of the events, rather than accepting a singular account of the novel’s events. Drawing from the previous Background entry, it’s worth noting that Faulkner created his own recurring location, the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, which was the setting for most of his novels.

Leaf Storm and Other Stories demonstrates Faulkner’s influence on Márquez, showing how modernism impacted the development of magical realism. The story “Nabo” regularly jumps between past and present as it explores the title character’s history in his employers’ house, while also showing his attempts to delay death after being kicked in the head by a horse. Meanwhile, “The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship” is told in one unbroken sentence, reflecting the obsessive stream-of-consciousness of its central character as he tries to convince his village that the ghost ship he sees every year is real. As Leaf Storm and “Monologue of Isabel Watching It Rain in Macondo” demonstrate, Márquez was similarly interested in developing a united setting for his stories, a place where he could trust readers to carry the subjective experiences of individual characters into the social sphere.