What is the difference between mimesis and diegesis in Plato?

In philosophy and literary criticism, Plato contrasted mimesis, meaning imitation, with diegesis, meaning narrative. While mimesis involves representing aspects of the real world or a character through direct action and imitation, diegesis relies on a narrator describing events or actions. This foundational distinction helps shape how stories are told and how characters are represented in literature and art.

What we know

• Plato contrasted mimesis, or imitation, with diegesis, or narrative. [3]
• Mimesis is the representation of aspects of the real world, especially human actions, in literature and art. [3]
• Diegesis is a style of fiction storytelling where a narrator describes actions and events. [2]

Where to go next

• compared withHow does Aristotle view mimesis compared to Plato?
• how it workedWhat role does a narrator play in diegesis?
• what followedHow is mimesis used in modern literary criticism?
• a case in pointWhat are non-diegetic elements in film?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the broader study of narratology?
• an unexpected connectionHow does diegesis apply to film scoring and music?Diegesis extends beyond literature to music, describing whether characters within a scene can hear the sound being presented to the audience.

Sources

• [1]diegesis (Wikidata Q1790314) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Diegesis · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Mimesis · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Glossary of narratology · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Rhetoric (Aristotle) · CC BY-SA 4.0