Contemporary Applications of Classical Ethos

Ethos is a term from classical Greek rhetoric which, in its contemporary uses and translations, has a wide variety of meanings. Given the multitude and diversity of interpretations and contexts of ethos and other concepts from classical Greek rhetoric, contemporary scholars give serious attention to the relevance of ethos in a wide range of academic areas. This thesis first explores a portion of the many interpretations of ethos offered by scholars from classical Greece to the present. These definitions are then applied to three areas of contemporary importance in scholarly and pedagogical work: ethos and its relevance to writers, ethos and its uses in literary interpretation, and ethos as it can be more broadly applied to issues of gender and credibility within academia. The applications presented are just the beginning. Further exploration of this and other complicated terms from classical Greek rhetoric will hopefully continue to fuel academic growth and development for the contemporary rhetorician.