Magical Realism and Mythmaking in Pakistani English Children Fiction: A Linguistic Critique of A Firefly in the Dark

The current study analyzes the linguistic choices and the language qualities through the co-textual study of the magical and mythical stories inscribed in literary texts in Pakistani fiction, A Firefly in the Dark by Haider (2018). The novel retrieves Pakistani history or magical and cultural embedment wherein these emerged. The aim is to examine whether the selected text involves language that deals with stories based upon magical realities, dreaming qualities, stories of ghosts and gods, daydreaming, horror and myth, imagery and identity, and an amalgamation of rational and irrational worldviews. The textual study would more deeply grasp the historical context and aspects of magical realism and mythmaking linguistic choices inherent in the respective writings. The research is carried out by developing an analytical framework from the existing theories of magical realism by Faris (2004) and Campbell’s theory of hero, mythmaking, and monomyth(Campbell, 1988). By connecting traditional mythmaking with cutting-edge storytelling techniques, Shazaf Fatima Haider's A Firefly in the Dark encompasses the fundamental values of magical realism. By applying the analytical framework to this work, the research examined the text's bridging of the mythmaking traditions and gained a fresh perspective on cultural narratives. It may also open the door to a vast investigation of the language employed in magical and myth-forming literature from South Asia.