Dionysian ''imitatio'' is the influential literary method of imitation as formulated by Greek author Dionysius of Halicarnassus in the first century BCE, which conceived it as the rhetorical practice of emulating, adapting, reworking and enriching a source text by an earlier author. It is a departure from the concept of mimesis which only is concerned with "imitation of nature" instead of the "imitation of other authors."

History

Three centuries after Aristotle's ''Poetics'', from the 4th century BCE to the 1st century BCE, the meaning of ''mimesis'' as a literary method had shifted from "imitation of nature" to "imitation of other authors". No historical record is left to explain the reason of this change. Dionysius' three volume work ''On mimesis'' (''On imitation''), which was the most influential for Latin authors, is lost. Most of it contained advice on how to identify the most suitable writers to imitate and the best way to imitate them.Ruthven (1979) pp. 103–4 For Dionysian ''imitatio'', the object of imitation was not a single author but the qualities of many.West (1979) pp.5–8 Latin orators and rhetoricians adopted the literary method of Dionysius' ''imitatio'' and discarded Aristotle's ''mimesis''; the imitation literary approach is closely linked with the widespread observation that "everything has been said already", which was also stated by Egyptian scribes around 2000 BCE. The ideal aim of this approach to literature was not

originality Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...

, but to surpass the predecessor by improving their writings and set the bar to a higher level. A prominent Latin follower of Dionysius was Quintilian, who shared with him the view of ''imitatio'' as the practice that leads to an historical progress of literature over time. Both Dionysius and Quintilian discuss ''imitation'' exclusively from the point of view of rhetoric. In Quintilian, and in

classical rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

in general, rhetoric drew much attention to the process of imitatio; the four operations of quadripartita ratio that organize all the

figures of speech A figure of speech or rhetorical figure is a word or phrase that intentionally deviates from ordinary language use in order to produce a rhetorical effect. Figures of speech are traditionally classified into '' schemes,'' which vary the ordinary ...

, defined as a "ready-made framework" of "relatively mechanical procedures" for the emulation, adaptation, reworking and enrichment of a source text by an earlier author.Jansen (2008), quote from the summary: This view of rhetoric was taken by

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...

in '' De Copia Rerum''.

Mimesis

Dionysius' concept marked a significant departure from the concept of '' mimesis'' formulated by

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

in the 4th century BCE, which was only concerned with "imitation of nature" instead of the "imitation of other authors." Latin orators and rhetoricians adopted the literary method of Dionysius' ''imitatio'' and discarded Aristotle's ''mimesis''. In

's '' Poetics'',

lyric poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. It is not equivalent to song lyrics, though song lyrics are often in the lyric mode, and it is also ''not'' equi ...

epic poetry An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

, drama, dancing, painting are all described as forms of mimesis.

Notes

References

*Jansen, Jeroen (2008) ''Imitatio''
Summary
translated to English by Kristine Steenbergh. *Ruthven, K. K. (1979
''Critical assumptions''
*West, David Alexander and Woodman, Anthony John and Woodman, Tony (1979
''Creative imitation and Latin literature''
{{Appropriation in the Arts Concepts in aesthetics Literary concepts Greek Muses Poetics Plot (narrative) Narratology Narrative techniques Rhetorical techniques Literary criticism Literary theory Figures of speech