Ethos Versus Persona

Abstract

This essay examines self-portrayal in fictional and nonfictional written discourse. The essay focuses on various treatments of self-representation in rhetorical and literary critical theory in an effort to overcome the conceptual and terminological confusion that has arisen across time and disciplinary specialties in the discussion of self-portrayal. The essay argues that two common terms for describing self-representation—ethos and persona— are often conflated but that there are good historical and conceptual grounds for maintaining a distinction between them. Such a distinction refines our critical vocabulary for analyzing the multidimensional nature of self-representation in writing.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
1988-07-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088388005003001
Open Access
Closed
Topics

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (10)

  1. Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Computers and Composition
  3. Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Written Communication
  5. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Show all 10 →
  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Rhetoric Review
  3. Written Communication
  4. Written Communication
  5. Rhetoric Review

Cites in this index (6)

  1. Written Communication
  2. Written Communication
  3. Research in the Teaching of English
  4. Rhetoric Review
  5. College English
Show all 6 →
  1. College Composition and Communication
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