magic realism

American  

Or magical realism

noun

1. a style of painting and literature in which fantastic or imaginary and often unsettling images or events are depicted in a sharply detailed, realistic manner.

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magic realism British  

noun

1. a style of painting or writing that depicts images or scenes of surreal fantasy in a representational or realistic way

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Other Word Forms

• magic realist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of magic realism

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

magic realism

“Tigers Are Not Afraid” was a horror film shot through with magic realism, and both those elements find a home in “Night Country.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2024

Songwriters draw on the grim language of news bulletins, and military terminology, put to literary use, takes on a kind of magic realism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2023

The queen of magic realism, Isabelle Allende, follows two parallel stories of war and immigration in The Wind Knows My Name.

From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2022

It is a work of "magic realism" that demands to be read playfully, not literally.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2022

With its elliptical telling, “Clara Sola” leaves these questions unresolved, gently balancing between magic realism and the more tragic, sobering realities of our world.

From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2022