In this article, I will firstly sketch a fundamental distinction between representation and mediation, or, more specifically, between representation of media and transmediation. After that, I will discuss media characteristics that can be called “transmedial”, meaning that they can be successfully transferred from one medium to another. The aim is to establish a framework from which to develop a comprehensive theory of transmediality that has the capacity to include a wide range of phenomena that are characterized by transfers of media characteristics. To date, there has been no systematic account of all these phenomena. Existing research is characterized by compartmentalization, which does not favor a general understanding of transmedial relations. Most existing studies focus either on only a few media and their specific interrelations, or on limited study areas such as adaptation and ekphrasis. At the present time, adaptation is probably the most vigorous research area dedicated to the study of transmediality.