Testimonial: Mimesis has had an incredible influence on me in my capacity as reader and writer. I came across it in the first few months of endeavoring to write a novel; where, or how I do not know. Studying literary criticism is one and the same as practicing to be a better writer. It provides the why of literature and offers a lexicon for interpreting the basis of meaning found in great works. As the writer goes about their own work, they can, if the study was successful, see the essence of what they are doing and piece together the strands that make up the fabric and pattern of the book.