Aristotle writes in his Poetics that epic poetry, tragedy, comedy, dithyrambic poetry, painting, sculpture, music, and dance are all fundamentally acts of mimesis ("imitation"), each varying in imitation by medium, object, and manner.
ˈæɹɪstˌɑːɾəl ɹˈaɪts ɪn hɪz poʊˈɛɾɪks ðæt ˈɛpɪk pˈoʊɪtɹi, tɹˈædʒədi, kˈɑːmədi, dˌɪθɪɹˈæmbɪk pˈoʊɪtɹi, pˈeɪntɪŋ, skˈʌlptʃɚ, mjˈuːzɪk, ænd dˈæns ɑːɹ ˈɔːl fˌʌndəmˈɛntəli ˈækts ʌv mˈaɪmsiz"ˌɪmɪtˈeɪʃən", ˈiːtʃ vˈɛɹiɪŋ ɪn ˌɪmɪtˈeɪʃən baɪ mˈiːdiəm, ˈɑːbdʒɛkt, ænd mˈænɚ.