The old true magical realism

At last month’s Symposium, our minds were turned toward the craft and art of history–which, to our delight, has a lively element of story-telling at its center.

In particular, Dr. Frederick Turner (University of Texas, Dallas) spent time with us, exploring the role and essence of historic epics. 

While their mythological nature seems distant from historical reality, epics have provided peoples from across the globe with the meaning so desperately sought in our human experience. As Turner describes it, there is something “magical” at work in these phenomenal tales:

Epic, with its atrocious naivety, its huge flaws in respect of realism, its monstrous ambition, its eerie contacts with Nature and the Gods, is the old true magical realism that actually takes us to the edge of things.

Take a look at Turner’s 20-minute lecture, which is hosted at the Institute’s YouTube website and will be viewable from the Classical Connections app as well as the Institute’s Facebook page.