Sooner or later, a reader of any genre of literature thinks about what pathos is. A similar phenomenon is encountered quite often, and therefore it is important for people to know detailed information about it. An explanation of the terminology with the history of origin and division into varieties can be found in the article.
Terminology ago
If you translate what pathos is, literally from the Greek language, the term will mean passion, suffering or enthusiasm. Aristotle was the first to give the correct explanation for this literary device. This is a transfer of feelings of fear or other strong emotions through a powerful act of the hero. Most often, these are tragic events that bring the reader into a state of catharsis, where what happened can be rethought. The suffering of the protagonist is caused by his own actions and the series of events that happens after them. It is always strong passion or inspiration that pushes on such actions of the character, and therefore strong experiences for the readers or viewers of the creation are guaranteed. Modern writers speak of pathos as the emotional tone of a work or mood, from where the varieties came from.
First applications
What pathos was was unknown until the speakers began to actively use it. The skill to speak perfectly was not given to everyone, because it was difficult to deliver speech to a large crowd of people. That is why the basic concepts were created that could be guided by. The term “logo” denoted all the speaker’s knowledge and ideas, which he would be able to use during the speech. "Ethos" is a combination of personal qualities of a person and their use in front of a group of students to awaken moral ideals. In turn, the concept of "pathos" was the exact opposite of the second term. These are transmitted emotions from the lips of the author, which should set a certain tone in the mood of the audience. Not always can they be positive, because it all depends on the goals pursued by the speaker. For example, for indignation, pathos should be used as an indication of certain vices, viciously ridicule something, have completely negative traits.
Hero Sacrifice
Every reader of works where the main characters are great warriors, fighters for a just cause and other types of that kind knows what pathos of a heroic style is. The central character seeks to make an important act, and therefore necessarily takes risks for himself or loved ones. Without this important trait, heroic pathos cannot exist. The same role can be played by some important values or moral principles. The second prerequisite for using the technique is the need to act freely. To take risks with possible victims by someone’s coercion will no longer be heroism. Only a powerful free urge to change the world or create your ideals can give the reader exactly what the heroic pathos is. Vivid examples of this technique are most of the heroes of Greek mythology. This list includes Hercules, Achilles, Hector, Perseus and others that are remembered for their risky exploits in order to achieve the goal.
Dramatic storytelling
The meaning of the word "pathos" can be understood by the example of the dramatic style, where the technique is used in most cases. In works with his presence, the author tries to convey as accurately and emotionally as possible all the emotional anxieties and sufferings of the characters. Orientation to the main character in this case is not, because everyone on the pages of the book can experience an internal struggle, misunderstandings in his personal life, a general misunderstanding of innermost ideas. These issues are examined under the prism of detail so that the reader can better understand the whole point. Often, writers use this technique along with condemning the heroes for their actions, the wrong way of thinking or negative aspirations that led to a similar problem. There are times when drama arises under the pressure of external factors that can even split a person into pieces. Then the drama already fully develops into tragedy, which Bulgakov perfectly showed in the novel "Running".
Tragedy on the pages
Tragic pathos in literature is far from uncommon and is used in a wide variety of styles. It is determined by full awareness of its losses, which can no longer be returned. This loss must be significant in order to show the whole tragedy of the events. It can be life values, the decay of moral principles, the display of falsity of ideology, the obsolescence of cultural trends, and most often just a passing away. It can be one of the central characters or someone from close people. Such losses must necessarily be natural in the course of any conflict. If this does not happen, then the meaning of the word "pathos" in its main form will be lost. Another important feature of the tragic style of applying the technique is the mandatory outcome of the problem, but with the losses described above. Vivid examples in this case can serve as the narrative “The White Guard” by Bulgakov or “Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky.
Ridicule
Understanding the pathos in literature, using the satirical style as an example, is sometimes difficult. This is because the author, in indignation, ridicules different vices of people, their existence in everyday life, different ideologies and other things. Most often, a certain character type that the character has in the plot becomes a model for using satire. Such a person does not represent anything, but objectively tries to be incredibly important, intelligent, insightful. Giving yourself other properties that are not inherent to her at all is the main premise for the emergence of satirical pathos. When a person begins to emotionally rethink such a character, then he will most often be angered by such a contradiction or cause laughter. Gogol perfectly showed the use of the technique in a deceitful, laudatory tone, which he described the upper layers of society in the capital of his time. Irony and satire in this case are called to show a paradox from which the ordinary thinking person would want to laugh. Often satire shows the absurdity of personality, which leads to disgust among readers.
Direct feelings
Types of pathos in the literature are different, and sentimental takes its place among them. This technique is used by the authors quite skillfully, because each person has an inherent sensitivity. This word is translated into French and denotes the name of the style. The reception is often portrayed to show sympathy for a person with his troubles, but no action is provided here. Sentimentality plays the role of a psychological substitute for real physical assistance. Even a lonely character who was upset for certain reasons can experience similar experiences within himself. This can be seen in Goethe's work “The Suffering of Young Werther,” where the protagonist of a young man sought to get into the society of nobles. When he managed to do this, he was stunned by the principles by which they live. To somehow heal this wound, the guy is looking for himself in the simplicity of rural life, helping poor people, admiring nature. Hopeful love was added to the general sentimental emotions, which led to suicide.
Romance
The rise of civil freedom in their actions for a romantic person is directly related to the eponymous style of pathos. The protagonist dreams of certain ideals in a peculiar manner, which causes a state of delight within himself. Characters on which examples of romantic pathos are shown are always spiritually rich, but they fail to show this trait. Life always puts sticks in the wheels for them, does not allow them to fully open up, which brings a note of tragedy. For society, romantic individuals with a characteristic manifestation of feelings are always outcasts and they are not accepted into the ranks of ordinary people. There is a conflict of a bright romantic person with a society that does not want to understand the aspiration of a spiritually rich person to ideals.