OUTLINE

Answer the following questions to form a basis of your first draft.

My research question is:

How do elements of Surrealism and Magical Realism in Neil Gaiman's "The Ocean At The End Of The Lane"
facilitate the emergence of the theme of childlike perception and innocence?

Introduction: Why did you choose to do this question? (1-2 sentences)

I was particularly interested in Neil Gaiman’s highly immersive and visceral writing style, which I later realised
pertained mostly to features of magical realism.

Setting the Stage: In the context of the whole discipline (area of study) where is your question located? How
is it significant to your subject area? Who might be interested and why?

In the context of the study of English literature, this investigation concerns the of magical realism as a literary
genre. Using "The Ocean At The End Of The Lane” as the focus, this essay will be somewhat of a case study of
the genre. This topic might be of interest to contemporary writers or even literature students exposed to
contemporary literature. The study is admittedly a slight departure from the roots, but also, in a sense,
demonstrates the inevitable turning points in the evolution of literature.

Analyzing the Sources: Which were your best sources?

Which facts were repeated in all your sources?

1. According to Faris, features of magical realism take either a epistemological or ontological
approach, whereby "the nuances stem from an observer’s visions” or "in which America is
considered to be itself marvelous”
2. Characteristics of magical realism include five primary traits: “irreducible” magic, realist
description, duality of reality, the merging and intersecting of such duality, and the ambiguity of
time, space, and identity.
3. There is a variety of secondary characteristics: metafictional narrative, the literal playing-out of
metaphors, motifs of repetition, metamorphosis, magic, and collectivist symbols and lore.

Which facts were contradicted in your sources?

N/A
 Arguments: What are the three main answers you found to your question?

Answer 1
Characteristics of magical realism include five primary traits: “irreducible” magic, realist description,
duality of reality, the merging and intersecting of such duality, and the ambiguity of time, space, and
identity. Discussion of Faris’ criteria under which a text can be considered to be “magical realist”. The
aspect of “irreducible” magic is more prominent in Faris’ overall consideration of characteristics of the
genre. Two to three passages where such features are relatively more prominent will be chosen for
analysis.

Answer 2
Discussion of feminine motifs and elements in magical realism, whereby it might be "possible to
locate a female spirit characterized by structures of diffusion, polyvocality, and attention to issues of
embodiment, to an earth-centered spirit world, and to collectivity.” Analysis of possible feminist
subtext. The focus for this aspect will be the characterisation of the female characters Lettie
Hempstock and Old Mrs. Hempstock, possibly along with character dynamics between the
anonymous narrator and the pair.

Answer 3
Element of disruption of time, space and identity. According to Faris, “magical realism introduces a confusion
between what exists outside the subject and what only exists as a function of it...what is truly ‘empirical’, and
what is, under the appearances of the sensory world, only pseudo matter, endowed with a purely mental truth.

Conclusion: In one sentence, what is a concise answer to your question?

Dénouement: What unanswered questions remain?