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Mind Style, Cognitive Stylistics, and Ēthopoiia in Lysias

  • Evert van Emde Boas
Published/Copyright: November 11, 2022
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Abstract

This paper approaches Lysianic ēthopoiia from the methodological perspective of ‘mind style’, a concept taken from modern stylistics. It is argued that Lysias gave his speakers individualized speaking styles that are indicative of their characters. The narrative of Lysias 1 is used as test case, and the analysis is based on a variety of linguistic features (sentence length, particle usage, pronoun usage) and cognitive concepts (mindblindness, schemas, cognitive metaphor). It is argued that, in a variety of subtle ways, Euphiletus is portrayed linguistically as a simple man, unaware of the motives and actions of others, and as a passive experiencer rather than an active participant in his own story.

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Published Online: 2022-11-11
Published in Print: 2022-11-25

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