Lexis According To Plato
According to Plato, lexis is the manner of speaking. Plato said that lexis can be divided into mimesis (imitation properly speaking) and diegesis (simple narrative). Gerard Gennette states: "Plato's theoretical division, opposing the two pure and heterogeneous modes of narrative and imitation, within poetic diction, elicits and establishes a practical classification of genres, which includes the two distinct modes...and a mixed mode, for example the Iliad".
In the Iliad, a Greek epic written by Homer, the mixed mode is very prevalent. According to Gerald Prince, diegesis in the Iliad is the fictional storytelling associated with the fictional world and the enacting/re-telling of the story. Mimesis in the Iliad is the imitation of everyday, yet fantastical life in the ancient Greek world. Diegesis and mimesis combined represent the fullest extent of lexis; both forms of speech, narrating and re-enacting.
In conclusion, lexis is the larger overview of literature. Within lexis the two areas of differentiation of mimesis (imitation) are diegesis (narrative) and the "direct representation of the actors speaking to the public."
Read more about this topic: Lexis (Aristotle)