[aw-thos, aw-thohs,awth-os, - ohs]
- noun
The disposition, character, or fundamental values peculiar to a specific writer, genre, or literary movement.

Do you, Dear and Gentle Reader, know any writer whose authos is defined by joy. Do you know any writer who is compelled to write because he is held hostage by happiness? Maybe when I ask this question, it is because I think of joy as glib cheerfulness, which I know it is not but am too lazy to really understand it otherwise, but it seems to me that the people I know who write - the people that I enjoy reading - rarely seem to have a joyous authos. When I feel joyful, I’ll tell stories, but I don’t write them. What say you?

Update: Though it may not seem this way, I am following all these comments with great interest. We’ve been out of town, and now we’re at my parents house for a few days, so it will be a little while before I can bring my replies. Thanks to everyone who’s chimed in, especially new commenters like Lonnie, Caleb, and Tala. (Btw, Lonnie, I wholly sympathize with your sentiments on Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, and I second Tala’s recommendation of Marilynne Robinson. )