pathos
English meaning: Pathos
English Definition
(English)Pathos (Greek: suffering, feeling) is the rhetorical appeal to emotion. In literary criticism, it describes scenes, characters, or situations that move the audience to feel sympathy or sorrow. Effective pathos makes audiences emotionally invested — they care about characters' fates. Excessive or manipulative pathos becomes 'bathos' — sentimentality that undermines genuine emotion.
English Definition
A quality in literature, art, or speech that evokes feelings of pity, sorrow, or compassion in the audience. Pathos is one of Aristotle's three modes of persuasion (alongside ethos and logos) and a central device of tragedy.
Example
“Dickens's description of Tiny Tim in 'A Christmas Carol' is a masterclass in pathos — the child's innocence and suffering move readers to reflect on social inequality.”
In English: “Dickens uses pathos through Tiny Tim to critique Victorian society's indifference to child poverty.”
Synonyms
- poignancy
- sentiment
- emotional appeal
Antonyms / Opposites
- bathos
- comedy
- irony
Literary Heritage
“Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird! No hungry generations tread thee down.”
“Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird! No hungry generations tread thee down.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B