mimesis
Mimesis is the imitation of life in art and literature. You know your painting exhibits mimesis when the viewers try to pick the flowers from the canvas.
You’ve probably heard that life imitates art. Well, when art imitates life, it’s mimesis. Originally a Greek word, meaning “imitation,” mimesis basically means a copycat, or a mimic. Mimesis might be found in a play with a realistic setting or in a particularly life-like statue. The word is also used in biology for a disease that shows characteristics of another illness. You can remember the definition of mimesis by thinking about a mime imitating an action.
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the imitative representation of nature and human behavior in art and literaturetype of:imitationthe doctrine that representations of nature or human behavior should be accurate imitations
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the representation of another person's words in a speech
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any disease that shows symptoms characteristic of another diseasetype of:diseasean impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning
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Vocabulary lists containing mimesis
If you want to understand the tools and techniques that great writers use, learn these literary devices and figures of speech.
If you want to understand the tools and techniques that great writers use, learn these literary devices and figures of speech. Review this vocabulary list and you'll be a master of metaphor, an expert on euphemism, and a pro at puns.
Get some perspective on painting, sculpture, and more by reviewing these terms related to the history of art. This list will give you the vocabulary you need to understand artistic styles and movements from classical architecture to abstract expressionism. You'll finally see why a picture is worth a thousand words!