Midnight's Children and Haroun and the Sea of Stories: How Rushdie's Storytellers Demonstrate that History and Story Need Each Other

Abstract

History and literature are nearly inseparable. The story is our way of interpreting and conserving history; not only in factual accounts, but in literary fiction as well. Salman Rushdie's use of magical realism in Midnight's Children demonstrates that history can be and has to be expressed in (fictional) stories. Haroun and the Sea of Stories further shows how history is inescapable when telling a story. Reality and fiction are intertwined; the issues we seek to express when discussing the meaning and cultural significance of historical events can sometimes be described most accurately in fiction. Literature as such can take the role of an historical archive, preserving historical meaning and personal experience for future generations.