Abstract: The word "perspective" is frequently used in Auerbach's Mimesis:The Representation of Reality in Western Literature. It is not only used in a metaphorical sense, but also constitutes Auerbach's writing and construction of the relationship between text and reality. The metaphor of perspective has the function of constructing literary space and introducing historical consciousness. It is also employed to scale whether an author has historical consciousness or a broadened worldview. Through Vico's humanistic historicism and Herder's idea of cultural equality of all ethnic groups, Auerbach overcomes the epistemological limitations of perspective and forms the principle of "historical perspective" in writing literary history. As supplements and variations of the metaphor of perspective, figural interpretation and multiple consciousness reflection are jointly used to construct a European literary history by Auerbach, presenting multiple aspects of representation of reality in literature.

Key words: perspective, historical perspectivism, mimesis, figural interpretation, multiple consciousness reflection