Exploration of the genre of Magic Realism in the works of Paulo Coelho with reference to The Alchemist and The Devil and Miss Prym

Marium Bushra, Saudi Arabia, LLCE2016-345;         This paper explores the symbolic significance of magic realism present in the works of Paulo Coelho such as The Alchemist and The Devil and Miss Prym.  The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between  realism and dreaming in modern literature  The researcher hypothesized that  Coelho uses the theme of magic realism or dream realism in his narratives, starting from an object quest to lead the reader to self actualization . Dream discourse begins with a realist setting as we see in the Alchemist, a shepherd boy travelling from Spain to the pyramids of Egypt to follow his dream with fantasy elements  slowly following like treasure ,a king and the crystal. Similarly the first few pages of The Devil and Miss Prym depict a realist setting as  we find a man on a journey to discover the true face of mankind  travelling to Viscos a small village in France  before it progresses into a magical fantasy with Berta’s ability to talk to her dead husband and see the devil , the forest with a hidden treasure of gold bars, blended with Chantal Prym dream to escape to the big city and  be rich This study sets forth the transformational power of our dreams through psychoanalysis of magic realism in literary text

Key Words: Magic Realism, Dream Fantasy, Transformation, Self Actualization etc