willing suspension of disbelief

The phrase “willing suspension of disbelief” is a term used in English literature to describe the idea that readers should temporarily suspend their critical thinking to enjoy a work of fiction. 

Suspension of disbelief or willing suspension of disbelief is a term coined in 1817 by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who suggested that if a writer could infuse a “human interest and a semblance of truth” into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative.

Suspension of disbelief often applies to fictional works of the action, comedy, fantasy, and horror genres.

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