Abstract:Toni Morrison is recognized as one of the greatest American writers in the 20th century and the winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1993. Song of Solomon takes the ancient folk— “the black can fly” as the thread of the story and the core of symbol, shaping the character of Milkman----the black leading character in Song of Solomon.

Song of Solomon described the black’s world by intertwining real life and legendary story. It also used many techniques such as multiple narrative perspective, symbolism and exaggeration etc. to convey the themes of the novel. This thesis probes into magic elements in this novel from the perspective of Magic Realism so as to reveal the real situation of the Black. The fundamental way for the black to survive is to embrace their own culture and keep their own identity. Only in this way can the black face up to the history and learn from it, then save themselves and their nation.

Keywords:  Song of Solomon  Toni Morrison  Magic Realism

Contents

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 A Brief Introduction to Toni Morrison-1

1.2 A Brief Introduction to Song of Solomon-1

1.3 Literature Review-2

1.4 The Composition of the paper-3

Chapter Two Magic Realism-4

2.1 The Origin and Development of Magic Realism-4

2.2 The Artistic Principle of Magic Realism-5

Chapter Three The Magic Realism in Song of Solomon-6

3.1The Magic Techniques of Song of Solomon-6

3.1.1 Multiple Narrative Perspectives-6

3.1.2 Hyperbole-7

3.1.3 Symbolism-8

3.1.3.1 The Myth about Flying-8

3.1.3.2 The Naming of the Characters-9

3.2 Allusion of Mythological Archetypes-9

3.2.1 Western Myths and Legends-9

3.2.2African Folk Tales-10

Chapter Four Conclusion-12

References-13