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.

Aristotle discusses representation in three ways—

• The object: The symbol being represented.
• Manner: The way the symbol is represented.
• Means: The material that is used to represent it.
  • The means of literary representation is language.

An important part of representation is the relationship between what the material and what it represents. The questions arising from this are, “A stone may represent a man but how? And by what and by what agreement, does this understanding of the representation occur?

• representation
  • chemical or structural formula for chemicals
  • mathematical formula or equations
  • Visual representations
    • Visual representations in a 2d format more simple