It is an artistic or textual device which is used to create fiction and fantasy in relation to reality. Authors and artists used this device to entice their audience through their fictitious stories while creating an emotional connection through integrating aspects of reality into their stories. The reality effect allows a piece of art to be seen as a natural representation rather than a socially and historically constructed representation.

Take for example the image shown above; someone is holding a photograph of a building in front of the building shown in the photograph. Here, the photograph is seen as a natural representation of the building rather than a “sign” that stores historical content. In this case, we accept the photograph as “reality” even though we know it to be merely a representation.