American Fiction in the 20th Century: Realism, Magic, and Experimentation

20th Century American Fiction

American fiction in the twentieth century evolved through three main stages: traditional realism, magical realism, and experimentalism.

Traditional Realism

Until the 1940s, the realist novel prevailed, depicting rural life and its people. The best novels addressed social problems and human nature, often set in the vast and untamed American landscape. While technically rooted in traditional realism, some works stood out by tackling subjects like the exploitation of Indigenous peoples by white settlers.

Magical Realism

Between 1940 and 1950, a group of storytellers emerged, blending realism with fantastic elements, becoming known as the creators of magical realism. This style featured urban settings, existential themes, and a desire for formal innovation.

Key Authors

• Miguel Ángel Asturias / Alejo Carpentier: Experimented with new narrative forms, rich language, and creating compelling worlds and characters. Works like The Age of Enlightenment explored fiction, historical reflection, and humanity. Also notable for short stories.
• Jorge Luis Borges: From 1930, primarily wrote essays and stories like Universal History of Infamy, Ficciones, and The Aleph. His originality lies in his conception of time and individuality, creating imaginative universes and raising metaphysical and intellectual questions with an ironic style, blending erudite and conversational tones.
• Juan Rulfo: Largely self-taught, his first work was The Burning Plain. Pedro Páramo is considered a classic, revolving around death in an eerie atmosphere filled with voices and supernatural forces. Notable for formal innovations like the breakdown of linear time, sudden narrative point-of-view shifts, and interior monologue.

Experimental Novel

Between 1960 and 1980, numerous excellent and innovative novels were published. Building on magical realism, these works delved deeper into testing new narrative forms. Incorporating innovations from the United States and Europe from the 1920s, authors experimented with new techniques. Hispanic American narrative of the '60s became a model for experimental Spanish novels.

Key Authors

• Ernesto Sabato
• Julio Cortázar: Excelled in short stories, aiming to surprise the reader with fantastic tales in the vein of Kafka and Borges, such as in Bestiary. His novel Hopscotch features a compelling world and characters, with innovative structural features allowing for different reading paths. This work established Cortázar's narrative style, characterized by a critical view of society and aesthetic innovation.
• Carlos Fuentes
• Gabriel García Márquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude made him one of the most popular novelists of the time. The novel combines various elements: magical realism, lyrical vision, social criticism, humor, and tragedy. He also produced extensive journalistic work and received the Nobel Prize in 1982.
• Mario Vargas Llosa: Debuted with The Time of the Hero (originally La Ciudad y los Perros). Continued to depict a brutal world with formal innovation in stories like The Green House. Combined formal experimentation with an ironic vision in works like Captain Pantoja and the Special Services. Notable for his ability to adapt and recreate historical movements, characters, and events.