Magical Realism in Ahmad Sa'dawiy's Frankenstein fi Bagdad
Abstract: This article
discusses the use of magic realism as a literary device in the Iraqi novel
Frankenstein fī Bagdād written by Aḥmad Sa‘dāwiy. The novel is set in the
period of inter-ethnic conflict which arose after the American invasion of
2003. Hādī, the main character of the novel, ‘creates a monster’ namely Syismah
from the corpses of the many bomb victims in Baghdad. The writer combines
setting of the novel with belief of the Iraq people, horoscope practice, and
magic, in mystical and illogical atmosphere. Given its magic realist qualities,
the analysis draws on the approach of Wendy B. Faris. The article identifies
five key elements from magic realism present in the novel, and discusses the
relationship between these elements in order to better understand the social,
ideological, and political context of the novel. The analysis shows that there
are relationships between two worlds: death and life, human and ghost, physical
and metaphysical, natural and supernatural.
Author: Mahmudah
Journal Code: jpantropologigg160020
