Representation (arts)
Signs that stand in for and take the place of something else / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]