Nonmimetic

Nonmimetic refers to artistic practices that do not seek to imitate the external world in a realistic manner. In nonmimetic works, meaning is produced through conventions of form, symbolism, fantasy, or invented systems of signification, rather than through faithful replication of perceived reality.

The term sits within discussions of mimesis, the ancient concept of representation attributed to Aristotle, who described tragedy and epic as imitations of life. Nonmimetic approaches emerged alongside modernist movements that challenged verisimilitude, including Symbolism, Surrealism, Expressionism, and other avant-garde currents that treated language, imagery, and structure as sources of meaning in their own right.

In literature, nonmimetic writing may rely on allegory, fable, myth, dream logic, or heightened, nonrealistic narration. In theatre, nonmimetic drama may employ stylization, direct address, chorus-like devices, or fantastical elements that break the illusion of everyday life. In film and visual media, nonmimetic works include avant-garde or surrealist cinema that uses disjointed time, symbolic imagery, or abstract editing to convey ideas rather than depict a lifelike world. Visual arts practice such as abstraction also falls under nonmimetic strategies by prioritizing form, color, and composition over referential depiction.

Although nonmimetic works avoid straightforward imitation, they can still convey truth by revealing internal orders, symbolic meanings, or emotional states. The term is primarily used in aesthetics and literary criticism, and it is often contrasted with mimetic or realist approaches, though many works blend both. See also mimesis, realism, verisimilitude, symbolism.