Magic for Beginners: Stories by Kelly Link

Magic for Beginners: Stories by Kelly Link

800 word minimum

We’ve discussed Link’s strong grasp of magical realism and her expert use of it to seduce the reader into entering a world of hyper realism that in turn, makes magic more believable.

Discuss how Link does this by focusing on details from the title story of the collection. Point to at least three examples of something fantastic/surreal/magical happening and two examples of intensely realistic details. Whenever possible, explain how these two aspects work in unison, as mentioned above.

Then, explain how this relates to writing fiction in the general sense of a reader-writer relationship. We discussed the importance of “suspending disbelief” in order to prevent skepticism from ruining the experience of reading magical realism, but what other kind of emotional investment does Link expect from the reader? What kind of respect does she have for the reader? Give evidence from your reading to explain your rationale.

Don’t forget an intro and a conclusion to frame your thinking in this short essay!