In their attempt to characterize art, people until the mid-18th century followed the belief of Aristotle and Plato, that the mind is a mirror that reflects the external world - so for Plato, art is the mirror that reflects external objects, it is, in other words, the imitation of nature. Later, the romantic movement contributed to the establishment of the view that the mind emits its own light and therefore art ceases to be a simple imitation of nature, but shapes its own, brighter image. The mirror is the imitation and the light is the self-activity and expression of the subject.

The book "The Mirror and the Light", written in 1953, is a milestone in modern literature and a primary source for the study of romanticism, contributing to the restoration of the movement fifty years after its dismissal by the modernist poets of the twentieth century.

"M. H. Abrams wrote an important book on the history of literary criticism.."
Rene Wellek, Comparative Literature

"A flawless book in its conception as well as in its execution. A significant contribution to the fields of comparative literature, the history of English literature, aesthetics, and the history of ideas."
Harry Bergholz, Modern Language Journal