Magical realism is a literary genre that practically tricks the reader into believing elements of the supernatural. Those writing in this style craft very realistic storylines, characters, and settings using vivid details and a sense of accuracy to convince the reader that the elements in the story are realistic and entirely believable. Subtly and slowly, the writer creeps in elements of the supernatural at a pace that allows the reader to believe the unbelievable without even realizing it. By the time readers notice that "magical" things are occurring, they have been sucked into the realistic picture that has been so craftily painted for them and are duped into believing that the extraordinary is just ordinary after all. Because this literary genre allows writers to lure the "not-so-gullible" reader into their storylines, it has become a popular style among many writers, and African Americans especially. The African American heritage is a rich one, full of folklore, superstitions, and a distinctly magical religion known as Voodoo. It is this heritage that many African American writers try to express in their works. Through the use of magical realism, these writers are easily a

In Beloved, by Toni Morrison, the entire Suggs family talks about the ghost of Beloved as if it were a normal occurrence to have a mischievous ghost rampant in the house. Baby Suggs, Sethe, and Denver treat the ghost as they would any live human, giving in to its whims and acknowledging its likes and dislikes. In the first paragraph of the novel, the narrator blithely discusses the existence of the ghost, as if it is absolutely normal to have a ghost living in one's house:

ble to convince the dubious reader of the existence of ghosts and the power and widespread practice of Voodism. And because the believability of a magical realism work depends on the reality of the world the writer creates, this genre allows African American writers to explore and portray the history of their people while exposing some unique African traditions and beliefs. Through an analysis of Toni Morrison's Beloved, Gloria Naylor's Mama Day, and Kasi Lemmons' motion picture Eve's Bayou, one can see how this genre is used to explore African American history and plausibly depict certain African American beliefs and motifs.

In Gloria Naylor's Mama Day and Kasi Lemmons' Eve's Bayou a more concrete set of African American beliefs are portrayed. In both of these works, communities with strong roots in slavery are portrayed. The people of these communities believe in and practice Voodism, a religion disregarded by many. By using magical realism, these two authors are able to show readers the intricacies of Voodism and convince them of the real powers of the religion, as well as show readers an alternate side of slavery.

Immediately following this paragraph, the narrator grounds the reader into reality, establishing that the ghost is active in house 124 "only seventy years" after Ohio became a state (3). By relating the time frame of the supernatural existence to the historical date of the establishment of Ohio, Morrison is able to show readers that this novel is set in a real place and a real time, and that other events in the novel are just as believable. Morrison uses the mundane reality of Ohio's foundation to fix the story within a historical frame in much the same way that she uses the references to slavery to add credibility to Beloved's existence.

In this paragraph, the narrator is not surprised by the ghost's presence. It is this acceptance of the supernatural that convinces the reader that the ghost is real and allows the reader to discard his/her traditional beliefs temporarily. Because the characters in the novel

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1712
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)