Paper Title
THE MYRIAD SHADES OF TIME: ON THE ART OF MAGICAL REALISM IN ALICE WALKER’S THE TEMPLE OF MY FAMILIAR

Abstract
The use of magical realism as a medium of literary expression allows this amalgamation of Time and Space in the minds of the literary artists and their art. This paper explores Alice Walker’s narrative, The Temple of My Familiar as an expression of how magical realism is employed to weave the past and the present of a ‘visionary’ cast of characters and their lives to create an intricate tapestry of emotions. This connect between the indelible past, the unfolding present, and the obscure future has been treated with utmost clarity in this narrative and the paper delves into the nuances of each temporal and spatial phases in the lives of the characters caught within these myriad hues. The narrative upholds the strength of tradition and how it forms the bulwark of the present and shapes the future. Time and again the idea that the present reflects a past steeped in history is portrayed through the working of magical realism which binds both these phases of time together. Integral to speculative fiction, Walker’s narrative explores the connect between time and space in which the characters find themselves caught in a whirlpool of emotions. The thematic movement of the narrative works its way through the tropes of magic realism covering the major issues of temporal and spatial bounds which stand dissolved. This notion of overlapping time and space creates a sense of Inversion which forms a major method in the use of magic realism. Walker creates this Inversion and allows it to diffuse the linear movements of time and space in this narrative. As the novel, unfolds we find how effectively Walker combines mythology and supernaturalism and infuses both in her depictions of real characters caught within the turmoil of their real lives. Magical realism evolves as a technique through which Walker raises the questions pertaining to race, gender and identity. Walker projects a series of interconnected narratives in which her characters find their true identities by overcoming multiple adversities. Adhering to the norms of magical realism, Walker portrays fantastical events in a realistic setting and tone. This precisely helps in conferring social relevance upon fables, myths and folklores. We observe a conscious effort on the part of the author to use the element of fantasy as an extended metaphor and creating a magical exposition to the narrative. As the fantastical elements with all their idiosyncrasies are considered as normal in the real world, it is easy to blend the real and the fantastical and Walker’s narrative, The Temple of My Familiar is a testimony to this notion. The diverse strands of the narrative constantly weave and create a path towards self-realisation. The characters tread this path towards an edification which helps to redeem their lives on an individual and a collective scale. The thrust of this paper is to analyse, Walker’s use of ‘magical realism’ as a process to initiate and achieve a sense of a composite self which is inclusive, absolute, and timeless.