Magical realism in Indonesian and Korean folktales: A comparative study of Bawang Putih Bawang Merah and Kongjwi Patjwi
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Translated literature is not merely a black-and-white reproduction; rather, it is an oil painting that stands on equal footing with its original. This study employs Wendy B. Faris's theory of magical realism to compare the Indonesian folktale Bawang Putih–Bawang Merah with the Korean translated folktale Kongjiwi–Patjiwi. The study focuses on (1) how the magical world is constructed in Bawang Putih–Bawang Merah and the translated Kongjiwi–Patjiwi, and (2) how magical characters are depicted in both tales. This is a qualitative-interpretive study centered on a comparative literary analysis of two folktales. The findings reveal that in the translated Kongjiwi–Patjiwi, three elements of magical realism are evident in its magical world: the Irreducible Element, the Phenomenal World, and the Merging of Realms. Meanwhile, the analysis of magical characters in Kongjiwi–Patjiwi—the Bull, the Frog, the Sparrow, and the Goddess—as well as in Bawang Putih–Bawang Merah, demonstrates a fusion of reality and supernatural elements that are accepted as natural within the story world.
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