Magical Realism

Love in the Time of Cholera is definitely a good example of “magical realism.” The novel displays many details about the setting and the characters that portray the reality of the story. Also, there is a great deal of fantasy depicted throughout the novel. The reckless abandonment of love by Florentino Ariza for Fermina Daza definitely provides elements of fantasy. In the beginning, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza exchange love letters of great passion yet they do not even really know each other. They have built one another up in a fantasy in which eventually Fermina Daza realizes is an illusion (Page 102). Florentino Ariza created his own world that revolved around Fermina Daza, and he cannot escape. Mystical elements along with elements of reality are used to create this passionate love story. It almost seems like one long dream that the characters have not woken up from. This magical realism in Love in the Time of Cholera is different from science fiction becuase in science fiction pretty much anything from the imagination can be included in the story. In magical realism, there is a lot of reality but fantasy and magical elements are mixed in. This allows the author to explore dreams the readers may have. Science fiction seems to be much more extreme that magical realism.