ABSTRACT
As we saw in the last two chapters, the theory of mimesis in Plato and Aristotle forges a powerful link between human behaviour and artistic representation. Far more than an account of how art mirrors nature, mimesis entails a complicated set of ideas about how human beings think, feel and understand the world and each other. The next three chapters will trace the influence of these ideas over two millennia of Western theory, and across the various fine arts. In particular, we will be discussing the three most common and important elements in the thematic complex of mimesis: the imitation of role models; the imagery of theatre and acting; and the problem of realism. These elements provide three pivotal ways in which mimesis can be defined and described. The imitation of role models concerns the relationship between past and present, original and copy, and defines mimesis as a historical phenomenon. Theatre, by contrast, emphasizes the relationship between the work and its audience, and defines mimesis by its presentation and effects. Realism, finally, concerns the relationship between work and world, and defines
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mimesis by its more or less accurate reproduction of nature. In each case, these relationships are governed by social and artistic conventions that in large part determine whether a literary, artistic or theatrical work strikes us as mimetic. As we shall find, the definition of mimesis is remarkably flexible, and changes greatly over time and across cultural contexts.
