Abstract
Abdullah argues that by employing magical realist elements, Belli not only reconstructs history and re-establishes the connection between the past and present but also shows the influence of communal memory on individuals in fighting against oppression. The chapter shows the way Belli breaks the silence of marginalized native women in the history of the nation, and allows her to create an alternative history which is capable of voicing untold stories of female suffering. Abdullah also argues that magical realism in the form of ancestral spirits or mythical figures functions as the source of comfort and inspiration, and resistance to patriarchal tradition. Finally, the chapter shows the importance of relationship and empathy in order to empower someone, to reconstruct torn identity and to initiate the healing process.
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Abdullah, M.A.S. (2020). Reconstructing Personal Identity and Creating an Alternative National History: Magical Realism and the Marginalized Female Voice in Gioconda Belli’s The Inhabited Woman. In: Perez, R., Chevalier, V. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Magical Realism in the Twenty-First Century. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39835-4_13
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