Elements of magical realism in the novel Mehlis Report by Rabie Jaber

Techniques of writing fictions in the West have had significant effects on the Arabic fiction today. Among them, the technique of "magical realism" is noteworthy. It refers to a type of narrative realism which, on one hand, resembles a realistic story and, on the other hand, is excluded from the realm of realism by the extraordinary events that occur. Therefore, magical realism is a realistic narrative which occurs in magic patterns. Rabie Jaber, a Lebanese contemporary novelist, is among the most famous writers in the Arabic literature who uses this technique widely in his stories. The novel Mehlis Report narrates Lebanon Civil War and its social, political and psychological roots. One of his most prominent works is in the field of magical realism. In this study, after the concept of magical realism is defined, an analytical method is used to analyze the novel Mehlis Report by Rabie Jaber based on fictional elements. Then, the effects of these elements on the form and content of the novel are specifie. The research results indicate that, in this novel, Jaber has used diverse procedures and techniques such as magical phenomena, magnification of reality, unjustifiability of some events, dead narrators, creation of alternative and irrational worlds, authorial reticence, and expressionist descriptions. These elements are used to reveal the bitter aspects of social life.