Pathos

The pathos ( in the 17th century borrowed from the Greek neuter πάθος, páthos, " Leiden ( company) ", πάσχειν to the verb, pás | chein, " suffer ", " suffering " ) refers to a rhetoric of persuasion of speech. Since its first systematic definition in Greek rhetoric, which is fundamental for all subsequent traditions, the word has undergone many changes of meaning. Colloquially is understood today including an emotional, theatrical and tend exaggerated form of articulation.

Classical rhetoric

In classical rhetoric since Aristotle pathos refers to one of the three means of persuasion of speech. While pathos aligns the speech as emotional appeal to the audience down, ethos refers its persuasive power from the integrity of the speaker. The pragmas (see logo) Finally, arguments are taken from the thing itself. Any theme can be one of the three poles of the speech - are aligned to persuade - or all together. The respective means of persuasion correspond to the level of linguistic refinement ( elocutio ) special techniques. Pathos is achieved, for example, with daring metaphors, with figures of being overwhelmed, with Aposiopesen or aporias. At the level of the speech ( actio ) voice leading, facial expressions and gestures of the speaker can contribute to the pathos of the speech. In Aristotle's Poetics pathos refers to all acts of emotional tragedy.

In the Roman adaptations of Greek rhetoric teaching (Cicero, Quintilian ) pathos increasingly referred only to the extreme, overwhelming emotional effects that are generated by the speech, while ethos refers to the moderate emotional effects. In Cicero and Quintilian, the means of persuasion also connects with a specific task ( movere, "move" ) and a style. The pathos is equivalent to the raised style - genus grande. In the text, On the Sublime ( Peri Hypsous ), which was previously attributed to a certain Longinus, is the pathetic style that expresses the passions, at the same time a possible expression of the sublime. The criticism shifts to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate pathos that describes Longinus as frosty, pompous or Scheinraserei ( parenthyrson ). Ultimately, can not guarantee the appropriateness of pathos only the genius of the speaker - an idea that forms the basis of Longins rediscovery in the 18th century.

As a potential hazard ( manipulation) oratorical pathos of the rhetoric itself is limited subordinated to specific topics and always the ethical integrity of the speaker and the actual arguments. On the other hand, philosophers, such as Plato, repeatedly to the dangers associated with the emotions - and their stimulation by speech and literature - connect.

Friedrich Schiller: The pathetic- Sublime

At Friedrich Schiller, the pathetic- Blessed is the privileged aesthetic figuration. In it obvious human freedom, the experience doing the art when they designed the resistance against suffering. So pathos now called an effect, resulting from the overcoming of suffering, not this itself basically are thus suffering experiences connected by Schiller on ' big ideas ' - in particular the idea of ​​freedom. Pathetic in this sense is the exclamation of Milton's Lucifer, who looks around in hell and it exclaims: " Hail, horrors, I greet you ." Schiller's definition of the term lingered up to today, so you, feels articulations that bring the overcoming an experience of suffering expressed as pathetic. In contemporary film that sounds an example like this:

" I see in your eyes the same fear did would take the heart of me. A day may come When the courage of men fails, When we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship - but it is not this day. ! This day we fight " ( The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ).

" In your eyes I see that fear, which could also dismayed me. The day may come when the courage of the people will go out when we let our friends down and Community covenant is broken - but that day is still far off, because today we're fighting " ( The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King )! .

Pathos in the presence / pathos in the film

At present there is pathos under suspicion and has become the (ab) -judgmental buzzword about in the film and literary criticism. According to the sophistication of the pathos terms of this suspicion extremely different phenomena can be based. It is based around not only in new forms of emotion criticism, but is also directed to the grand narratives ( Lyotard ) with which the style is traditionally connected: for example, in Schiller the idea of ​​freedom. In this sense, for example, the films of the American producer Jerry Bruckheimer - mostly of European viewers - perceived as pathetic, but they combine impressive cinematic way with an emphatic relation to concepts such as nation, heroism or home.

When using " pathetic ", however, in the sense of " theatrical ", which refers back to a traditional style skepticism, based on the opposition of authenticity and artificiality. So asks the literary sensibility in the 18th century just the simple language as an expression of "true " emotionality, which elaborate " pathetic " speech techniques as they were about perfected in the Baroque, fallen into disrepute. Similarly, authors, filmmakers try just using the presence of the restriction of cinematic technique again pathos in the sense of "authentic " overwhelming emotion to produce ( Dogme 95 ). The suspicion of manipulation, the pathetic forms of articulation is met with the German side often, founded in 1945 especially to the critique of the rhetoric of National Socialism.