hysterical realism

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A literary genre typified by a strong contrast between elaborately absurd prose, plotting, or characterization, on the one hand, and careful, detailed investigations of real, specific social phenomena on the other.

Word forms

hysterical realism

Etymology

Coined by English critic James Wood in 2000 to describe Zadie Smith's White Teeth.

Related words

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