Is Hallucinatoric Realism the New Normal?

Hallucinatoric Realism, I just love this term! I found it when reading a press release about this Year’s Nobel Literature Prize winner, Mo Yan of China, and I can’t help pondering over it. For Mo Yan, hallucinatoric realism describes how he merges folk tales, history, and the contemporary in is writing. Maya Deren, an American filmmaker and entrepreneurial promoter of the avant-garde in the 1940’s and 1950’s, describes hallucinatoric realism as a place where reality and subjectivity become indistinguishable. Maybe in today’s political climate hallucinatoric realism should be considered the new normal. Political ads are a good example of hallucinatoric realism. A merging of reality and subjectivity is a great descriptor for attack ads and their rebuttals. I think hallucinatoric realism is a better fit than calling the ads a manipulation of statistics, taking words out of context, or revelations of hidden recordings. A lot has been said about the voting public. And a lot is riding on just what the voting public will believe. Can we all  be victims of hallucinatoric realism? Or just some of us? Which part of the voting population do you think is living in a world of hallucinatoric realism, the 47% or the other 53%?

I also love the idea that Mo Yan gave himself a pen name that means hold your tongue that acted as a reminder for him do just that to keep himself out of trouble. I could probably use a reminder for that myself!