magic realism

Definition of magic realism

1 : painting in a meticulously realistic style of imaginary or fantastic scenes or images

2 : a literary genre or style associated especially with Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction

— called also magical realism

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Examples of magic realism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In Schenkkan’s LBJ, as conjured by the bravura actor Brian Cox, the idea of a leader who puts his powers of persuasion to work on behalf of ingrained ideals and hopes for the nation comes across as magic realism. — Peter Marks, Washington Post, "In ‘The Great Society,’ history marches numbingly on, and on, and on, and on," 2 Oct. 2019 Top Indian leaders, though, are wallowing in their own world of magic realism. — Shivam Vij, Quartz India, "Indians are watching movies to escape the economic slowdown—so is the Modi government," 14 Oct. 2019 There’s something about the angst of white-collar men that lends itself to magic realism. — Judy Berman, Time, "Living With Yourself," 15 Oct. 2019 The flashbacks play out in a mock-heroic style with tinges of magic realism — a leopard emerging from the forest at an opportune moment, a gang boss punishing his enemies in a particularly crushing manner. — Mike Hale, New York Times, "Review: The Criminal Life in Mumbai in ‘Sacred Games’," 6 July 2018 Thick with suburban magic realism, this novel-in-stories tracks three generations of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, living in Jersey City. — George Packer, The New Yorker, "Briefly Noted," 16 June 2018 Examples of magic realism can be found in Tony Kushner's Angels in America or Craig Lucas' Prelude to a Kiss, Garnes said, adding that Cariani uses the technique often in the context of more serious themes. — Annie Gentile, Courant Community, "Lunchtime Lecture Series Explores "Love/Sick"," 6 June 2018 There are more than just a few Sapphic suggestions here, along with the religious lunacy, sadism, hallucinations, magic realism and a visual vocabulary rooted in horror. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ Review: No Walk in the Park," 24 May 2018 Lin builds sinuous rhythms that intersect with gorgeous melodies that create a magic realism that melds our complex past with our tangled present, all the while elevating art and consciousness. — Oprah Winfrey And Quiara Alegria Hudes, Town & Country, "How Lin-Manuel Miranda and His Family Made Giving Back Their Tradition," 9 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'magic realism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near magic realism

magico-religious

Statistics for magic realism

Last Updated

25 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Magic realism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magic%20realism. Accessed 17 Feb. 2020.

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