Representation (arts)

Representation is the use of signs that stand in for and take the place of something else.^[1] It is through representation that people organize the world and reality through the act of naming its elements.^[1] Signs are arranged in order to form semantic constructions and express relations.^[1]

For many philosophers, both ancient and modern, man is regarded as the "representational animal" or animal symbolicum, the creature whose distinct character is the creation and the manipulation of signs – things that "stand for" or "take the place of" something else.^[1]

Representation has been associated with aesthetics (art) and semiotics (signs). Mitchell says "representation is an extremely elastic notion, which extends all the way from a stone representing a man to a novel representing the day in the life of several Dubliners".^[1]

The term representation carries a range of meanings and interpretations. In literary theory, representation is commonly defined in three ways:

to look like or resemble;
to stand in for something or someone;
to present a second time, to re-present.^[2]

The reflection on representation began with early literary theory in the ideas of Plato and Aristotle, and has evolved into a significant component of language, Saussurian and communication studies.^[2]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Mitchell, W. 1995, "Representation", in F Lentricchia & T McLaughlin (eds), Critical Terms for Literary Study, 2nd edn, University of Chicago Press, Chicago
^ ^a ^b O'Shaughnessy, M & Stadler J, Media and society: an introduction, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, 2005

[Mitchell1995-1] Mitchell, W. 1995, "Representation", in F Lentricchia & T McLaughlin (eds), Critical Terms for Literary Study, 2nd edn, University of Chicago Press, Chicago

[Stadler2005-2] O'Shaughnessy, M & Stadler J, Media and society: an introduction, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, 2005

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