hysterical realism

== English == === Etymology === Coined by English critic James Wood in 2000 to describe Zadie Smith's White Teeth. === Noun === hysterical realism (uncountable) (literature) 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. ==== See also ==== magic realism