[citation needed] This idea laid the foundation for the evolution of mimesis into verisimilitude in the Middle Ages particularly in Italian heroic poetry.
No matter how fictionalized the language of a poem might be, through verisimilitude, poets had the ability to present their works in a way that could still be believed in the real world.
Verisimilitude at this time also became connected to another Aristotelian dramatic principle, decorum: the realistic union of style and subject.
[3] This classical notion of verisimilitude focused on the role of the reader in his/her engagement in the fictional work of art.
Through verisimilitude then, the reader was able to glean truth even in fiction because it would reflect realistic aspects of human life.
[citation needed] As more criticism on the novel surfaced, the inclusion of a preface or a scattering of some historical references was not enough to engage the reader.
French theorist Pierre Nicolas Desmolets' notion that the author should obscure the fiction or art of the novel to avoid destroying illusion: the made up attributes of the text.
[6] During the rise of the postmodern novel, some critics suggested that truth or significance lies beyond verisimilitude and that only by complete non-discursive freedom to encounter a novel could meaning truly be discovered.
[7] In the production of the classic superhero film, Superman, director Richard Donner had a picture of the title character holding a sash with the word "verisimilitude" on it in his office during the project.