Magic realism
A narrative style that treats magical, fantastical, or impossible events as ordinary occurrences within a realistic setting. Magic realism neither explains nor emphasises the magical; it integrates the impossible seamlessly into quotidian reality.
Real World
In Toni Morrison's Beloved, a dead child physically returns and lives in the house without the novel ever treating this as extraordinary — the magical intrusion forces the reader to experience the psychological reality of slavery's trauma rather than observe it at a safe distance.
Exam Focus
For AO3, always contextualise magic realism within its cultural or political origins — Morrison's use reflects the African-American oral tradition and historical trauma.
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