A Funny Thing Happened When I Fell From the Sky

Using magical realism and surrealism in your writing.

- Ran Walker

I am an unabashed, die-hard fan of the now-concluded FX TV show "Atlanta." For four seasons, I tuned in to watch the adventures of Alfred (aka "Paper Boi"), Earn, and Darius, mainly because I love strange stories, particularly shows that are slightly off-kilter, like "Twin Peaks." In fact, Donald Glover, the creator of "Atlanta," once described his show as "Twin Peaks' with rappers." I have, at times, found myself obsessing over what I perceived to be surrealism on the show, only to question if it was more magical realism than surrealism, then wondering if there was a real difference that extended beyond academic semantics-at least on a practical level. Of course, this level of analysis could very well have been its own "Atlanta" episode, if the show was still running.

In the simplest of explanations, magical realism is when the unusual or fantastical happens in a realistic universe. For example, imagine a normal neighborhood where children are playing, and one of the kids flies into the sky, while the others look on as if nothing unusual has happened. With surrealism, though, which has its roots in the art movement of the same name, stories tend to circumnavigate the usual human consciousness, instead drawing from the unconscious or the subconscious, and create a fantastical setting in which anything can happen. Surrealism is often referred to as "dreamlike" in its execution. Consider for a moment Salvador Dalí's painting The Persistence of Memory, which features a variety of melting clocks hanging over various objects, and you'll understand what I mean.