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Magical realism

MAJ-ih-kul REE-uh-liz-um

/ˈmædʒɪkəl ˈriːəˌlɪzəm/

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Syllable breakdown

magicalrealism

Dictionary meaning

A literary and artistic mode in which magical or supernatural elements are presented as ordinary within a realistic narrative framework; pioneered in Latin America by Gabriel García Márquez and Alejo Carpentier, and later practiced globally.

Examples

  • The yellow butterflies that follow Mauricio Babilonia in One Hundred Years of Solitude are a hallmark of magical realism.

Spelled 'magical realism' in both varieties; 'magic realism' is an acceptable alternate form.

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