Ethos in style, subject and soul
Thoughts on writing as creation of character
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52610/rhs.v27i87.119Abstract
In this essay ethos is conceptualized as an activity for creating character and not as technical proof (pistis). Ethos can be seen as a telic principle that we can use as motivation for the activity, but it is the qualities of the practice that brings transformation of the character as we “do” and “use” ethos. This perspective on ethos is still Aristotelian but in a slightly different way than described in Rhetoric. This essay discusses the question: How and why do we create and transform our character by writing as rhetorical activity? Several dimensions of ethos as activity contribute to this question: Using “the timespan between the character before
and now; balancing the character and the style; using the in ”the Between” of the writer, subject and reader in order to develop a “genera tive” ethos (Enos); finding words to mark “you” stylistically in the text; choosing the subject (cause) carefully and pursuing it ethically; creating a kairotic, ethical
sense of timing; and illustrating and pointing to the ethos-practice for the
readers to encourage these practices. Ethos-practice in writing includes some sort of reflection of the practice itself, and life-writing - including place- and material-based writing and self-communication - can be a way of practicing ethos in a reflective mode. In addition to Aristoteles modern and contemporary scholars from the fields of rhetoric and composition are brought into the discussion of ethos as writing in practice.
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